The Ocean is in crisis. Coral reefs are bleaching, seagrass meadows are vanishing, mangroves are being cleared, and biodiversity is plummeting. Scientists estimate we’ve already lost up to 50% of global saltmarshes, 35% of mangroves, and 20% of seagrasses. Yet alongside this sobering decline, momentum for marine restoration has never
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government circulated a draft version of Scotland’s first Blue Carbon Action Plan with key stakeholders to gather comments and feedback. Project Seagrass was one of the organisations contacted as part of this process. The Blue Carbon Action Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s position and
Dr Richard Unsworth, Chief Scientific Officer at Project Seagrass, along with 35 other leading scientists from across the UK, responds to proposals from the UK government to make licensing for marine restoration more complex and costly. Dear Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP and team, This letter sets out our
This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. The author is Siripannee Supratya. Siripannee Supratya (Noina) is a Thai journalist focusing on the environment, science, laws and socio-political happenings. In addition to her journalism work, she is a creative communicator and a professional diver. She is on
A new study led by the University of South Florida highlights the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems in shallow water near the shore —an area that many beachgoers don’t realize is highly important to fish populations. Known as tidal flats, these coastal waters are characterized by a complex mosaic
Scientists have warned efforts to protect and restore marine habitats along the UK’s coastline could be hindered by a lack of public knowledge about these initiatives. In the face of climate change and rising sea levels, nature-based coastal solutions (NBCS) are emerging as a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to
Dear Santa, We have tried to be responsible people all year. We are really hoping that this year we get the thing we have always wanted – healthy and productive oceans. We know that people haven’t looked after the oceans from the first time they were given to us, and
Today on international women’s day 2018 we collectively acknowledge and celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. Absolutely a day for shared and international celebration. Throughout history and across the world women have
The savannahs of the seas – our humble seagrass meadows are in peril In its Green Seas episode, Blue Planet II introduced us to seagrass meadows. Scarcely touched upon in past media when compared to coral reefs, mangroves and even kelp forests, we learnt about the vast potential of these
Over the next few days the Save Posidonia Project, Formentera celebrates the Save Posidonia Festival. The idea behind the project is to host a festival where culture, sport and environmental activities will be carried out that celebrate the fantastic contribution that the seagrass Posidonia oceanica makes to Mediterranean well-being. The festival is aimed both
The Ocean is in crisis. Coral reefs are bleaching, seagrass meadows are vanishing, mangroves are being cleared, and biodiversity is plummeting. Scientists estimate we’ve already lost up to 50% of global saltmarshes, 35% of mangroves, and 20% of seagrasses. Yet alongside this sobering decline, momentum for marine restoration has never been greater. The United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021–2030) and the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework both set ambitious targets: restoring 30% of degraded ecosystems, including those underwater, by 2030. So the question is: if the will, the science, and the funding are building, what’s holding us back? According to a team of 25 scientists and practitioners from 18 countries, one of the biggest obstacles isn’t just the technical challenge of restoration itself, it’s the licensing and regulation systems designed to govern it. In their recent paper, Rethinking Marine Restoration Permitting to Urgently Advance Efforts, they argue that outdated, overly complex permitting processes are unintentionally slowing down the very projects needed to restore the oceans. Marine Restoration Is Still Young Unlike reforestation on land, which has centuries of trial and error behind it, marine restoration is still in its infancy. Early projects in kelp, oysters, and seagrass go back decades, but systematic science-based restoration is relatively new. Failures are common, often because methods are untested or ecological dynamics are poorly understood. But those failures are not a reason to stop—they are opportunities to learn. Unfortunately, knowledge sharing is patchy, with unsuccessful projects often going unreported. This means mistakes are repeated instead of avoided. When Regulation Backfires No one disputes that regulations are essential to protect fragile ecosystems. But the paper highlights a paradox: the very laws meant to safeguard marine environments can also block or delay restoration. Permitting processes are frequently designed for terrestrial development projects, not marine habitat recovery. This mismatch means approvals are expensive, slow, and sometimes impossible to obtain. For instance, restoration within marine protected areas is often heavily restricted, even when the activity would clearly benefit the marine ecosystems and its biodiversity. The result? Practitioners may choose suboptimal sites just to avoid regulatory headaches, or abandon projects altogether. In some cases, frustrated groups even take matters into their own hands through “covert restoration,” risking legal trouble to get reefs or seagrasses replanted. Why “Business as Usual” Won’t Work Complicating matters further is climate change. Even if the world manages to stay under the 1.5°C target of the Paris Agreement, marine ecosystems face enormous risks. Marine heatwaves, shifting species ranges, and rising seas mean that simply recreating past habitats is no longer realistic. Instead, the authors argue for a forward-looking approach: restoration must aim to create resilient ecosystems for the future, not replicas of the past. That may involve controversial tools like assisted gene flow, assisted migration, or even repurposing invasive species to provide ecological functions. While these approaches raise ethical questions, the authors stress that clinging to outdated baselines is more dangerous than carefully exploring new ones. The Case for Innovation “Sandpits” One of the paper’s most intriguing proposals is the creation of innovation sandpits, dedicated spaces where scientists and practitioners can test new restoration methods under flexible permitting conditions. The idea is to encourage creativity and experimentation, similar to the culture of innovation that drove the U.S. “moonshot” program. Such sandpits could allow restoration at meaningful scales, where failures are expected but also monitored and shared, building collective knowledge. Crucially, this would need to be done with free, prior, and informed consent from local communities, ensuring equity and transparency. Scaling Up Takes Time Another bottleneck is time. Most restoration permits are short-term, three to five years at most. But successful marine recovery often requires decades of continuous effort. Seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, and mangrove forests don’t mature overnight. Short permits create interruptions, forcing projects to restart and making funding insecure. For large-scale recovery, licensing must align with ecological realities: long-term horizons, continuity, and scale. Small, scattered projects will never be enough. Strategic national and international coordination is needed to identify suitable areas, streamline approvals, and pool resources. Equity and Responsibility The paper also highlights the importance of equity. Restoration is not just about biodiversity; it directly impacts the people who live alongside these ecosystems. Indigenous communities, local fishers, and coastal residents must have a say in how projects are planned and implemented. Otherwise, well-meaning initiatives could unintentionally restrict access to resources or sideline traditional knowledge. The authors emphasise that urgency must not become an excuse for ignoring equity. Social inclusion, fairness, and justice are essential for lasting success. Six Steps Toward Better Restoration Licensing The authors conclude with a six-point agenda for change: Embrace novelty: Use innovative tools (genetics, assisted migration, new technologies) to prepare for future conditions, not past baselines. Establish sandpits: Create safe zones for testing and scaling new methods. Strategic restoration zones: Designate areas where permits are streamlined and projects are protected from future disturbance. Transparent reporting: Mandate open sharing of successes and failures, so the whole field can learn. Streamlined, long-term permits: Align licensing with ecological timescales and assume restoration is a positive activity by default. Remove fees, add incentives: Instead of charging for permits, reward landowners and stakeholders who enable restoration. Looking Ahead Marine restoration has the potential to be a cornerstone of the “blue revolution” needed to sustain life on Earth. But to succeed, governments, regulators, scientists, and communities must rethink how we design the systems that enable it. As the authors argue, the goal is not deregulation, but smarter, more adaptive regulation. The ocean is changing rapidly, and restoration must change with it. By fostering innovation, embracing uncertainty, and prioritising resilience and equity, we can give our seas a fighting chance.
Earlier this year, the Scottish Government circulated a draft version of Scotland’s first Blue Carbon Action Plan with key stakeholders to gather comments and feedback. Project Seagrass was one of the organisations contacted as part of this process. The Blue Carbon Action Plan sets out the Scottish Government’s position and priorities for blue carbon habitats with emphasis in the Plan placed on the need to protect existing carbon stores in blue carbon habitats. Project Seagrass’ Senior Science Officer and Scotland Team Lead Dr Elizabeth Lacey reviewed the Plan and met with Scottish Government to share a series of recommendations to ensure that the Actions outlined in the Plan effectively represented and addressed knowledge gaps surrounding Scotland’s important seagrass habitats. It is disappointing that none of the recommendations provided by Project Seagrass have been incorporated into the final Scottish Blue Carbon Action Plan published earlier this month. Read the recommendations that we provided to the Scottish Government as part of the consultation process below: Key Areas for Improvement and Additional Action Items 1. Evaluate Carbon Sequestration Rates in Scottish Seagrass Meadows The Plan’s introductory text accurately highlights the lack of measured carbon sequestration rates for Scottish seagrass. However, this is not reflected in the list of action items. Measuring sequestration rates is well-established in the literature and could be incorporated into current or planned monitoring frameworks with relatively modest additional investment. Including this as a specific action would address an important evidence gap. 2. Improve Mapping of Seagrass Habitat ExtentThe under-mapping of seagrass beds in Scotland is acknowledged in the Plan, yet no corresponding action is outlined. Comprehensive habitat mapping is critical for understanding carbon storage potential, informing protection strategies, and guiding restoration efforts. This is an urgent need and should be prioritized as a stand-alone action. 3. Improve Mapping of Seagrass Carbon CaptureWhile the Plan includes detailed biomass and carbon mapping for salt marshes, similar work is not proposed for seagrass. Parameters such as biomass and sediment characteristics, which inform carbon stock estimates, are currently lacking for Scottish seagrass meadows. Including such surveys for seagrass would bring parity with other blue carbon habitats. Tools such as LIDAR—already proposed for salt marshes—could also be used to map seagrass-associated bathymetry, sediment dynamics, and coastal erosion. If coordinated with salt marsh mapping flights, this would offer efficient cross-habitat benefits for multiple agencies. 4. Understand Seagrass Health and PressuresAn action to assess the health of seagrass meadows and the pressures acting on them would strengthen the Plan. While this is included for salt marshes, it is not currently addressed for seagrass. Data on the impacts of water quality, dredging, sedimentation, and nutrient inputs are especially lacking in Scotland. These data are crucial to inform effective management and protection strategies and to identify opportunities for both active and passive restoration. 5. Support Habitat Restoration and CreationThe Plan opens with strong language in support of passive restoration—reducing pressures to allow natural recovery—but the associated actions lean heavily toward active restoration projects. Passive approaches are often more cost-effective and ecologically successful. Globally, numerous studies have developed habitat suitability models for active restoration, yet actual implementation success remains limited. An alternative, and potentially more impactful approach, would be to model areas experiencing seagrass decline and identify known pressures. This would help highlight locations with the highest potential for recovery through pressure reduction—supporting more strategic, evidence-based passive restoration. Comments on Existing Action Items Action 6 – Baseline Survey of Carbon Uptake and Storage in New Seagrass ProjectsWe have some concerns regarding the emphasis on measuring carbon in seagrass restoration areas. Current research indicates that it may take 10 years or more before restored seagrass meadows begin storing detectable levels of carbon. Moreover, SMEEF projects are intended to demonstrate effort, not guarantee ecological success. As such, relying on these sites for baseline data may lead to inaccurate or premature conclusions. Instead, we recommend prioritizing measurements in existing meadows across a range of environmental settings. This would provide more ecologically relevant and accurate data to inform national blue carbon estimates. Furthermore, the suggestion that this work will help “standardise monitoring of carbon storage” could benefit from clarification. Robust and standardised methods for measuring seagrass carbon storage already exist and are widely used by the global scientific community. Rather than developing new standards, Scotland could adopt these existing protocols to ensure comparability and scientific rigor. Action 7 – Supporting Habitat Restoration and CreationAs noted above, we recommend adding a complementary focus on passive restoration. Developing ‘opportunity maps’ that identify areas where seagrass is most likely to recover following pressure reduction would be a valuable tool. This would support more targeted interventions and help align restoration efforts with the most ecologically feasible and cost-effective strategies. Action 8 – Understanding Existing and Proposed ProtectionsWhile we recognize that fishing pressure is an important concern in some regions, our experience suggests that other stressors—including land-based runoff, pollution, aquaculture, and dredging—are more widespread and pressing in the context of Scottish seagrass meadows. These pressures are often overlooked in current management frameworks and would benefit from more explicit inclusion in future protection and policy planning.
Dr Richard Unsworth, Chief Scientific Officer at Project Seagrass, along with 35 other leading scientists from across the UK, responds to proposals from the UK government to make licensing for marine restoration more complex and costly. Dear Rt Hon Steve Reed OBE MP and team, This letter sets out our response as leading scientists, practitioners, and NGOs to the DEFRA consultation “Marine licences: changes to fees, exemptions and self-service licences”. We believe the proposed increases in fees and restrictions for marine licences will seriously undermine restoration efforts, making an already difficult activity even more challenging and, in many cases, unviable. The current licensing system for marine restoration is already unjust and fundamentally at odds with the UK Government’s national and international commitments. To introduce additional fees, administrative burdens, and restrictions at this time is, quite frankly, perverse. We specifically oppose: Any increase in fees for marine restoration licences. The urgent need is to remove fees entirely, not add to them. Further restrictions and additional charges on marine restoration projects larger than 5 hectares (we need marine restoration exemptions from this). Evidence clearly shows that scaling up restoration delivers greater resilience and enhanced ecosystem service (natural capital) benefits compared with small, fragmented projects. We specifically request: Practitioners need DEFRA to create a simplified, consistent, cost-free, and science-based licensing system for marine and coastal conservation. Currently, licensing is one of the most significant barriers to restoring the health of the UK’s seas. We see these proposed changes under the consultation as a missed opportunity to create such a system. The urgency could not be greater. Our climate and natural systems are breaking down, and the ocean is in crisis. In each of the last three summers (2023–2025), UK seas have endured unprecedented marine heatwaves. Never before has there been such a critical need for healthy coastal ecosystems that can bolster resilience, buffer climate impacts, and support food security. Yet our habitats have been decimated and continue to decline with DEFRA’s own assessment concluding that the UK marine environment is failing on 13 out of 15 indicators. Marine restoration is not optional; it is essential for our collective future. Restoring and conserving ocean habitats is also a legal obligation. The UK is a signatory to the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and, under the Environment Act 2021, has binding targets for nature recovery. These commitments require all public bodies, including seabed owners to conserve and enhance biodiversity. The UK has already missed the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, largely due to regulatory barriers of the very kind now being proposed. Repeating these mistakes would be indefensible. The benefits of a streamlined licensing system are profound. It would enhance our capacity to tackle the climate and biodiversity crises, strengthen coastal resilience, and improve national food security. International examples demonstrate that simplified frameworks accelerate recovery and generate long-term ecological and social benefits. At conferences such as ReMeMaRe, UKSS, and the Seascape Conference, frustration with England’s current licensing regime has been a recurring theme. The system is widely regarded as unpredictable, inconsistent, costly, and burdensome, treating restoration projects as if they damage rather than enhance the marine environment. This not only delays urgent work but risks deterring vital investment in ocean recovery. The state of our marine environment illustrates the scale of the problem: estuaries are degraded, mudflats retreating, saltmarshes fragmented, and most seagrass meadows lost. Remaining habitats are scarce and highly vulnerable to climate change. Immediate reform is essential. Wales and Scotland are already moving in the right direction. Dialogue and regulatory reforms are creating enabling environments for restoration. England must now do the same. Without urgent change, regulation will remain a barrier to the large-scale environmental renewal that is desperately needed. We no longer have healthy ecosystems to use as restoration baselines. Historic habitats such as oyster reefs have vanished, while global heating accelerates ecological change. Restoration must therefore look forward, building climate-resilient ecosystems that reflect future needs rather than only past states. To do so, we need a legal and regulatory framework that supports ambition. The Kunming–Montreal Framework and the Environment Act 2021 require bold action, but these targets cannot be met without enabling legislation. In addition to the consequences of further restrictions on marine restoration for biodiversity, we also believe these restrictions place further restrictions upon our ability to reach Net Zero, and therefore see this as an issue not only for DEFRA but also for DESNZ. We therefore call on the Government to act swiftly to reform the licensing system for marine and coastal restoration. This is a practical and achievable step that would deliver immediate benefits for biodiversity, climate resilience, and food security. As scientists and practitioners at the forefront of UK marine research and restoration, we would welcome the opportunity to meet with you and your team to discuss solutions and pathways for progress. Yours sincerely, Dr Richard Unsworth FRSB, FHEA Associate Professor (Swansea University), Chief Scientific Officer (Project Seagrass) Signed on behalf of the following: Prof Martin J Attrill, Professor of Marine Ecology, University of Plymouth Dr Dan Barrios-O’Neill, Head of Marine Conservation, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Prof Michael Chadwick, King’s College London Sarah Chatfield, Nature Recovery Partnership Manager, Chichester Harbour Conservancy Dr Leanne Cullen-Unsworth, Chief Executive, Project Seagrass Dr Aline da Silva Cerqueira, Sussex Bay & King’s College London Dr Tim Ferrero, Senior Specialist – Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust Zia Fikardos, Marine Policy Officer, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) Angus Garbutt, Principal Scientist, UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology Chris Graham, Head of Ocean Regeneration, Marine Conservation Society Tom Godfrey, Founder, Earth Change Dr Ian Hendy, Coastal Ecologist, Senior Lecturer, University of Portsmouth Chloë James, Seagrass Project Officer, Cornwall Wildlife Trust Prof Chris Laing, University of Exeter Dr Sally Little, Nottingham Trent University Louise MacCallum, Solent Seascape Project Manager, Blue Marine Foundation Niall McGrath, CEO, Robocean Ltd. Anouska Mendzil, Senior Science Officer, Project Seagrass & Swansea University Nigel Mortimer, Estuaries Officer, South Devon National Landscape Estuaries Partnership Dr Simon J. Pittman, School of Geography
This article was originally published on Dialogue Earth under the Creative Commons BY NC ND licence. The author is Siripannee Supratya. Siripannee Supratya (Noina) is a Thai journalist focusing on the environment, science, laws and socio-political happenings. In addition to her journalism work, she is a creative communicator and a professional diver. She is on Bluesky and X. When Piyarat Khumraksa started combing through five years of Thai government data on dugong deaths, she did not anticipate uncovering a crisis of national significance. The Department of Marine and Coastal Resources (DMCR) had recorded far more deaths in 2023 and 2024 than previous years, but the reason was not clear. Khumraksa is a marine veterinarian who works along southern Thailand’s coastal provinces of Krabi, Trang and Satun. She is based at the Marine and Coastal Resources Research Centre, overlooking the lower Andaman Sea. Here, once-thriving seagrass meadows have been disappearing, along with the dugongs that rely on them for sustenance. “We first noticed problems with the seagrass five years ago, but it became critical in 2023 and 2024,” Khumraksa says. “The dugongs that were living in this area have now migrated to find seagrass along the west coast in Phuket, Phang Nga and Ranong provinces. This is the first time we have witnessed such a thing happening.” When dugongs are washed ashore in Thailand, they are rarely alive. A deceased animal that washed up in Krabi province on 30 December brought the total death count to 45 last year. In 2023, there were 40 deaths. In October 2024, the minister for natural resources and the environment, Chalermchai Srion, stated that dugong mortality in Thailand usually averages 13 per year. Stranding hotspots are concentrated in Trang province, especially around Mook and Libong islands. Khumraksa says this is where previously vast seagrass beds have vanished. Dialogue Earth spoke to Milica Stankovic, who works in the lab at the Seaweed and Seagrass Research Unit at southern Thailand’s Prince of Songkla University. She shares the example of Krabi’s Ao Nammao Bay, where seagrass coverage has plummeted from a healthy 60%, to 1% in 2024. A leading theory behind the seagrass die-off is changes in global climate patterns that trigger cascading effects. One of those effects is unusually low tides around Thailand, which fatally expose swathes of seagrass. Various efforts are now being made to support Thailand’s dugongs, including seagrass restoration. But there are fears the population will not be able to recover to its former size. Plummeting numbers According to a DMCR survey, Thailand had 273 dugongs in its surrounding waters in 2022, mostly living along the west coast in the Andaman Sea. Based on recorded deaths alone, Thailand may have since lost around one-third of that population. The true toll may be even higher, as many carcasses likely go undiscovered. Dugongs are categorised as vulnerable on The International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List of Threatened Species. That is one stage before endangered. The only purely marine grazing mammal alive today, they feed almost exclusively on seagrass. This was once abundant in the warm, shallow waters of the Andaman Sea off south-west Thailand. Historically, dugongs were hunted for their tusks, meat and even their tears, which were used for their supposed aphrodisiac properties. They have been protected under Thai law since 1961. Today, hunting poses less of a threat, as the spiritual significance of the dugong has evolved to protective respect. The animal has also become valued for its appeal to ecotourists. Despite this legal protection, the trend of losses highlighted by Khumraksa raises worrying questions. Many of the dugongs that washed out of the Andaman Sea between January 2019 and November 2024 were emaciated. Only 12% of dugong deaths could be attributed to direct anthropogenic factors, such as fishing gear entanglement or boat collisions. While some tusk poaching was observed, Khumraksa says this appeared to be opportunistic and occurred after death. According to autopsies, plastic ingestion was also minimal, ruling out this pollution as the primary cause of death. In 40% of dugong deaths, the exact cause could not be determined due to advanced decomposition. Khumraksa says she has begun seeking out help from universities and researchers, so that she might investigate what constitutes “natural causes” among these deaths. She wants to establish whether starvation, disease, or a combination of factors could be responsible for the recent spike. So far, her own findings already point to a clear trend: as seagrass meadows decline, dugong deaths increase. Low tides and no green grass While many researchers are linking seagrass decline to the rise in dugong deaths, the authorities remain cautious. The DMCR’s director-general, Pinsak Suraswadi, cites other factors – such as disease, grazing pressure from other species and habitat damage from coastal developments – that could also be contributing to the crisis. Nevertheless, the widespread loss of seagrass remains a major concern. While seagrass naturally experiences seasonal variations, experts stress the current level of degradation is unprecedented. Suraswadi tells Dialogue Earth that researchers are working to establish what is causing the seagrass die-off. A key theory points to the prolonged exposure of intertidal seagrass to air, which is occurring during unusually low tides. “Data from 2023 shows water levels at low tide are lowered by 20-30cm – the seagrass gets exposed for a bit longer,” explains Suraswadi. “Seagrasses in deeper zones survive, but then they have grazing pressure from other surviving marine animals that also feed on seagrass.” Suraswadi attributes this retreat to natural, recurring variations in oceanic and atmospheric conditions called climate oscillations. The famous El Niño/La Niña system is one of these, but there are several others. It is not yet clear what exact oscillation may have caused the recent low tides, but, combined with higher-than-normal air temperatures, some experts think this change could have driven Thailand’s seagrass into trouble. “These past few years, low-tide marks have been dropping lower, exposing seagrass to extreme temperatures for longer periods,” says Suraswadi. “This has made us realise we need more expertise in physical oceanography [to fully understand the impact on marine ecosystems].” The Seaweed and Seagrass Research
A new study led by the University of South Florida highlights the urgent need to protect marine ecosystems in shallow water near the shore —an area that many beachgoers don’t realize is highly important to fish populations. Known as tidal flats, these coastal waters are characterized by a complex mosaic of habitats, such as sand, mud, coral rubble, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, coral reefs and mangroves. They are vital nursery grounds for diverse marine life, including reef fish, sharks and rays and are critical to global seafood supplies, local economies and overall marine health. The findings from a team of interdisciplinary marine experts, “Habitat management and restoration as missing pieces in flats ecosystems conservation and the fishes and fisheries that they support,” are published online in Fisheries. The team created 10 core strategies that boaters, anglers, wildlife managers and policymakers can adopt to prioritize and preserve marine flat ecosystems including seagrass meadows from humans and intensified weather events. At the top of the list is considering fish, such as tarpon, as flagship and umbrella species, as their protection would benefit additional species that use the same habitats. They urge habitat management and restoration to be at the forefront of the community’s mind, starting with integrating them into local government and coastal development and planning processes. Recent research from Project Seagrass, based on a fishery in South Florida, highlights the need for more diverse knowledge holders in local knowledge research and application to ensure that management recommendations arising from local knowledge are not skewed towards the most vocal individuals. The University of South Florida team believes this will lead to resilient shorelines and shallow-water habitats, providing long-term benefits for coastal communities and the marine life that depends on them. “The ecological connections between these ecosystems and other marine habitats are vital for the lifecycle of various species, many of which are integral to fisheries,” said Lucas Griffin, assistant professor in the USF Department of Integrative Biology. For the last decade, Griffin has studied fish and their migration patterns in a variety of areas, including the Florida Keys, witnessing firsthand how tidal flats are rapidly changing. Inspired by that work to take action, Griffin partnered with experts from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Carleton University and the University of Massachusetts Amherst to develop a plan that can be applied locally and globally to help protect tidal flats. “The Florida Keys are a biodiversity hotspot where wildlife and fish depend on flats habitats,” Griffin said. “But these ecosystems are at risk—from coastal development and harmful algal blooms, to heat waves and boats running aground on sensitive habitats, like seagrass. Iconic recreational fish like tarpon, permit and bonefish rely on these flats, contributing millions of dollars to the local economy each year. “Despite their importance, there is not a lot of direct habitat management to protect these ecosystems. We need to address questions like how much good habitat remains, what can be restored and what has already been lost.” Overfishing, habitat degradation, coastal development and environmental conditions have contributed to these fragile habitats disappearing around the world. In Florida, intensified weather, such as heat waves and hurricanes, has further compounded these issues. “Effective habitat management and restoration are critical, but have been overlooked for flats ecosystems,” Griffin said. “Implementing these principles can help secure the biodiversity, fisheries and ecosystem services that millions of people depend on.” More information: This article is republished from PHYS.ORG and provided by the University of South Florida. Study: Habitat management and restoration as missing pieces in flats ecosystems conservation and the fishes and fisheries that they support,, Fisheries (2025). Flats ecosystems are characterized by a complex mosaic of habitats, such as sand, mud, coral rubble, seagrass meadows, oyster reefs, coral reefs and mangroves. They are vital nursery grounds for diverse marine life, including reef fish, sharks and rays. Credit: Andy Danylchuk, University of Massachusetts Amherst
Scientists have warned efforts to protect and restore marine habitats along the UK’s coastline could be hindered by a lack of public knowledge about these initiatives. In the face of climate change and rising sea levels, nature-based coastal solutions (NBCS) are emerging as a sustainable and environmentally friendly way to protect our shores. These innovative solutions—which include living shorelines, engineered reefs, and restoration of saltmarshes and dunes—offer a greener alternative to traditional hard defenses like seawalls and barriers. However, new research reveals that while NBCS are preferred by many for their environmental benefits, public understanding of their effectiveness lags behind. In a study published in the Journal of Environmental Management, researchers surveyed over 500 UK residents and found a striking divide between public preference and their perception of effectiveness. Most respondents expressed a preference for nature-based coastal solutions due to their sustainability and aesthetic appeal. Yet hard defenses, which were long-established and visibly effective, remained widely thought-of as the most reliable way to mitigate coastal risks like flooding and erosion. Spatial distribution in preferences and perceived effectives for the two active coastal management strategies considered: hard defenses and nature-based coastal solutions. Credit: Journal of Environmental Management (2024). DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2024.123413 The study highlights a critical knowledge gap. Although NBCS offer significant environmental advantages- including carbon sequestration, enhanced biodiversity, and community resilience—their long-term effectiveness is not well understood by the public. This disconnect could hinder efforts to implement NBCS at scale, despite growing calls from the coastal science community to adopt these solutions as a cornerstone of sustainable coastal management. To bridge this gap, researchers emphasize the need for greater public engagement and education about nature-based initiatives. Collaborative approaches, such as systems mapping, could play an important role in involving local communities in the decision-making process. By fostering dialogue among residents, scientists, and policymakers, systems mapping can help ensure that coastal management strategies are both inclusive and effective. Dr. Scott Mahadeo, from the School of Accounting, Economics and Finance at the University of Portsmouth, explains, “Nature based coastal solutions offer a promising path toward sustainable coastal management, combining environmental benefits with resilience against climate challenges. However, our findings highlight a clear knowledge gap between the scientific community’s advocacy for these solutions and the public’s understanding of their effectiveness. Bridging this gap through meaningful dialogue and inclusive decision-making will be key to fostering widespread support and ensuring robust, long-term coastal policies.” The study highlights that coastal zones hold deep socio-cultural significance, from family heritage and community cohesion to recreation and environmental stewardship. Researchers say that any changes to these landscapes can profoundly impact the lives and identities of coastal residents and users. This is why public support and understanding are crucial for the successful adoption of NBCS and other coastal management strategies. Dr. Mahadeo adds, “As the UK and the world grapple with the challenges of climate change, balancing innovative solutions with community needs is essential. The path forward lies in building trust, sharing knowledge, and working together to safeguard our coasts for generations to come.” The University of Portsmouth is involved in several projects that use nature as a potential solution to climate-related or pollution-related issues. These include the Rapid Reduction of Nutrients in Transitional Waters (RaNTrans) project, which is exploring how nature-based approaches can improve and protect marine ecosystems. Restoration projects are also underway across the south coast of England, including the pioneering Blue Marine Foundation’s Solent Oyster Restoration Project, and the UK’s first seascape restoration project the Solent Seascape Project. Both projects are based at the University of Portsmouth’s Institute of Marine Sciences in Langstone Harbour, and aim to restore multiple habitats such as oyster reefs, seagrass meadows, saltmarsh and birds, to reconnect and revive our ailing coastal waters. This latest study was conducted by a team of interdisciplinary scientists—in coastal geomorphology, environmental economics, and human geography—and focused on public perceptions of coastal management in the UK. Using innovative survey and analysis techniques, the authors hope the research will help develop more sustainable and inclusive coastal policies. More information: This article is republished from PHYS.ORG and provided by the University of Portsmouth.
Dear Santa, We have tried to be responsible people all year. We are really hoping that this year we get the thing we have always wanted – healthy and productive oceans. We know that people haven’t looked after the oceans from the first time they were given to us, and we also know that the climate is changing and this is making us all very concerned! However, at Project Seagrass we have a plan to do our bit to help them get better. To help us achieve our aim we would like the following for Christmas this year: • We’d like seagrass meadows full of fish • We’d like everyone to know what seagrass meadows are • We’d like for everyone to know how diverse seagrass meadows are • We’d like for everyone to know where in the world all the seagrass was • We’d like for everyone to learn more about seagrass in school Finally, if you don’t think we are being cheeky, we’d like you to ask our friends in #TeamSeagrass what they would like to ask for from Santa this year, I’m sure they also have some great ideas! We’ll ask them to use the hashtag #DearSanta to collate a list for you. Thanks Santa Merry Fishmas! The Project Seagrass team.
Today on international women’s day 2018 we collectively acknowledge and celebrate women’s achievements throughout history and across nations. It is also known as the United Nations (UN) Day for Women’s Rights and International Peace. Absolutely a day for shared and international celebration. Throughout history and across the world women have fought and continue to fight for equality. We are the individuals, mothers, grandmothers, great grandmothers, sisters, aunties and wives who support ourselves, our families, our friends, our countries and our planet for the most part with quiet affection and definitely not for reasons of recognition or wider acknowledgement. But it is important to recognise and acknowledge the role and achievements of all women, particularly those who are the silent backbone of their communities, where neither support nor recognition is widely offered. I could choose any number of amazing women to focus on here but would like to, very briefly, just draw attention to the women who play a significant yet quiet role in the world’s fisheries. Women play a significant role in fisheries across the globe Women (and children) are key providers for their families and communities across the globe though the work they do gathering seafood for food and for income. The fisheries involving women and children are generally low tech with minimal or no gear often where seagrass and reef flats are ‘gleaned’ by hand at low tide to collect valuable invertebrates (and sometimes fish) for food and for sale. These women and these fisheries remain ill acknowledged and unsupported by local, regional or international efforts to manage and maintain the sense of food security that they convey. But they make up a significant proportion of the small-scale artisanal fisheries that collectively contribute up to one quarter of the total global catch. These women work tirelessly to maintain a way of life or simply to provide protein and nutrition for their families. These are voices that need to be heard and have a significant role to play in the management and maintenance of local scale fisheries. A woman gleans at low tide in Indonesia These often ignored fishers can teach us all a lot about a lot of things, their ecological knowledge, dedication and hard work is something we could all learn from. So this year I would like to celebrate and acknowledge these women on this important day. I would also like to acknowledge and celebrate the amazing women who have always worked hard, led by example, encouraged (without question) and helped shape my own life (‘no matter what’). I am privileged to have and to have had these women in my life. Happy International Women’s Day!
The savannahs of the seas – our humble seagrass meadows are in peril In its Green Seas episode, Blue Planet II introduced us to seagrass meadows. Scarcely touched upon in past media when compared to coral reefs, mangroves and even kelp forests, we learnt about the vast potential of these underwater grasslands to sequester carbon from our atmosphere through to providing habitat for charismatic marine life. But seagrass meadows are much more than this. Indeed, we would need a whole new landmark series to truly convey how vitally important these habitats are for biodiversity, people and the planet. Seagrass meadows are home to charismatic marine life, such as eagle ray’s which utilise seagrass meadows as juveniles in the Caribbean Our understanding of the importance of seagrass meadows is racking up. Recently we’ve discovered how seagrasses filter bacteria from coastal waters, helping to keep both people and coral reef’s healthy. We also now know that seagrass meadows are possibly the most underappreciated fishing habitats on earth, securing food supply and livelihoods. Seagrass meadows are a home, source of food and a feeding ground for numerous species of fish, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals. They protect our shores from erosion, trapping sediment in place and slowing currents and produce oxygen that we breath. They truly are the oceans hero. Not the hero our planet deserves, but the hero our planet needs. Our green knight if you will. Women in Mozambique use fishing nets made from mosquito nets to collect fish within seagrass Despite all this, our seagrass meadows are in peril – unacknowledged, ignored in management and never the poster child of ocean conservation. What this has resulted in is a habitat in a state of emergency. From the shores of the UK to uninhabited islands within the Indian ocean, the tell-tale signs of man’s impact on seagrass meadows is visible. We simply don’t know how much seagrass there is globally. This also means we don’t know how much we’ve lost, bust estimates suggest that since the 1980’s we’ve lost over 35%. That equates to around a football field every hour. A scar on the oceans seabed. A small but visible impact from a boat anchor The threats we present to seagrass remains invisible, while we’re distracted by stories of deforestation and river pollution. Vast plumes of nutrient and sediment rich water flood onto our coastal seagrass meadows every day. Nutrients cause eutrophication, and opportunistic microscopic algae smother seagrasses, preventing the plants from obtaining food through photosynthesis. Elevated nutrients cause microscopic algae to smother seagrass leaves, reducing their ability to absorb light Similarly, sediment derived from coastal development and land reclamation burry the sensitive grasses, leaving nothing but a deserted wasteland. Contributing to this is the fact that fish species that might help seagrasses in their fight are gone. Exploited beyond belief and a result of seagrass meadows being ignored, time and time again when designing Marine Protected Areas. A static fish fence, or sero, used to funnel fish into a pen so that they can be collected daily has no preference for species or size Even in the UK, where we apparently “lead the way” in environmental protection, our seagrass meadows are in a perilous state. Despite being included within Special Areas of Conservation and Marine Conservation Zones, protection is woefully inadequate. But despite this doom and gloom there is hope for seagrass. Last year more than 100 scientists from 28 countries called for global action to protect seagrass meadows. It now seems that people are listening. It seems there is hope for these vital yet fragile ecosystems For our oceans, the futures bright and the futures green. Seagrass research and conservation are growing, and new information points to people as part of the answer. Citizen science has the potential to help members of the public to discover seagrass meadows while contributing to conservation at the same time. By making seagrass meadows a familiar species, we hope to use people to leverage change. While some governments are already looking to seagrass meadows as potential blue carbon hero’s and actively working on conservation strategies the reality is most are still naively unaware. For change to happen seagrass meadows can no longer be the ugly duckling of the conservation world and need to be given the limelight they deserve.
Over the next few days the Save Posidonia Project, Formentera celebrates the Save Posidonia Festival. The idea behind the project is to host a festival where culture, sport and environmental activities will be carried out that celebrate the fantastic contribution that the seagrass Posidonia oceanica makes to Mediterranean well-being. The festival is aimed both at marine professionals, as well as the public, and hopes to champion sustainability, so that it is not just an act or one off event, but becomes a permanent way of being. Outputs from the festival are concrete, with the most innovative scientific and environmental projects presented at the festival (linked to the preservation of Posidonia oceanica) having the opportunity to be financed through a collection made during by Save Posidonia Project. The projects are to be evaluated by a technical committee of high national and international recognition and the objective is to involve all individuals, companies and national or international organisations in raising awareness to take action in the conservation of such a critical ecosystem to the Balearic Islands. To participate in the festival all events must apply sustainability measures based on basic principles. Before the celebration of the event the promoters featured had to submit a plan to reduce the impact on the environment and respect the well-being of local people. However, this isn’t the first festival of this kind, indeed the Posidonia Festival has been active in the Mediterranean for nearly 10 years. Originating in 2008 on the island of Formentera (Spain), the festival has been hosted fifteen times in six different locations (Carloforte, Formentera, Mallorca, Santa Margherita Ligure, Sitges, Tavolara). Most recently Posidonia Festival was held in Mallorca with Three days of activities on Art, Nature and Sustainable Tourism have been held in Palma and Deià. The event will be held again next year. As an International Ecofestival of Art, Environment and Sustainable Development. The festival is a space for dissemination of knowledge and practices that promote the protection of the natural coastal environment and, at the same time, an opportunity for sustainable development, culture and tourism. For us seeing these ‘festivals of seagrass’ taking place is incredibly positive, since it is through platforms such as this that we are able to communicate seagrass science to the public! We’ve already heard this year about how seagrass science is growing, and I have witnessed first-hand the dedication and enthusiasm of this small (but growing!) group of seagrass scientists during the 12th International Seagrass Biology Workshop that Project Seagrass hosted in north Wales last year. Also, for me personally, I am thrilled to see the spotlight on the seagrass Posidonia oceanica since this species is critical to the sustainable provision of seafood in the Greek islands where I have made many friends. I find it deeply upsetting to witness the ecological, social and economic ramifications of degraded Posidonia oceanica meadows. The species has been estimated to be worth €190 million per year to Mediterranean fishing and the loss of this foundation species could result in both a loss of income and food security that these islands have long enjoyed. Keep up the good work #TeamSeagrass and together we will be the change.
