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The Global Seagrass Challenge: Conserving seagrass in a changing climate

Join the Global Seagrass Challenge

Challenge 6: Delivering conservation action in an era of climate change

Why this matters

Climate change is intensifying pressures on seagrass ecosystems through rising temperatures, sea-level rise, increased storm frequency, and shifting ecological conditions. At the same time, seagrass meadows are increasingly recognised for their role in climate mitigation and adaptation, particularly through carbon sequestration and coastal protection.


Conservation action in this context must be climate-informed, forward-looking, and resilient in the face of uncertainty. Conservation efforts, in particular restoration, requires careful design to ensure that action is viable under future climate conditions and contribute meaningfully to ecosystem recovery and climate goals.

Our journey

In light of a changing climate, partners globally have come together to build capacity in one another on the design, implementation and delivery of conservation projects. Sharing knowledge and experiences, we’ve learnt that partners inform each other of the appropriateness, ecological relevance, scale, and alignment with long-term resilience objectives of conservation and restoration projects.

A central component of this work has been evidencing seagrass restoration efforts across the globe. By supporting consistent monitoring and documentation of restoration design and outcomes, the network of partnerships we’ve forged have helped create a growing body of evidence on what works, what does not work, where, and under what conditions. Last year, we built the first global, open-access evidence platform for seagrass restoration, enabling climate-informed design based on real-world performance across diverse social, economic, environmental contexts.

Through, SeagrassRestorer, a UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration endorsed platform, the global seagrass community is uniquely positioned to support partners in designing and delivering restoration projects that are grounded in evidence and adapted to local and climatic contexts.

This collective work through SeagrassRestorer has:

  • transformed fragmented restoration efforts into a global, climate-relevant evidence base,
  • embedded climate risk and resilience into restoration design and decision-making, and,
  • empowered practitioners worldwide to deliver conservation action fit for a changing climate.

Why this moment matters

Conservation in a changing climate requires a combination of research, knowledge sharing, action and learning. Funding the Global Seagrass Challenge Fund, your investment enables:

  • positioning of seagrass meadows as critical nature-based solutions for both climate mitigation and adaptation in global conservation discourse, and
  • scalable solutions informed by global evidence and local practice.

 

Investment into the Global Seagrass Challenge Fund contributes to conservation remaining effective and relevant in the face of accelerating climate change.

Thank you

If you would like to join the Global Seagrass Challenge Fund, or to learn more about becoming part of this collective, we would love to hear from you.

To start a conversation, please contact us by email at globalchallenge@projectseagrass.org.

There is still time to meet the challenges facing seagrass conservation — and to be part of a small, committed group helping shape a more just and resilient future for coastal ecosystems. Through the Global Seagrass Challenge Fund, we are working alongside communities and partners worldwide to support conservation that is equitable, evidence-informed, and grounded in place.

We look forward to hearing from you and exploring how, together, we can help secure a future for seagrass meadows and the people who depend on them.

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The other challenges we tackle together

As part of the Global Seagrass Challenge Fund, you stand alongside a committed collective meeting the most pressing challenges facing seagrass conservation worldwide.

1. Making seagrass visible
You can help bring seagrass into the spotlight by building awareness and understanding of these vital coastal ecosystems that support fisheries, protect shorelines, strengthen climate resilience, and sustain coastal communities
More on this challenge
2. Mapping and monitoring seagrass
Your support helps close critical knowledge gaps by strengthening access to reliable, locally relevant information on seagrass extent and condition, turning data into evidence-led, locally grounded conservation action.
More on this challenge
3. Understanding local threats to target action
With your help, local, specific pressures on seagrass can be identified and addressed by partners, enabling community-led action, diagnosis of threats and the shaping of realistic, on-the-ground conservation responses.
More on this challenge
4. Balancing the needs of people and planet
Your contribution helps ensure equitable seagrass conservation approaches that support livelihoods, food security, and cultural connections alongside ecosystem health, recognising people as integral to conservation success.
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5. Building the evidence to support action
With your support, robust scientific evidence to guide conservation decisions can be generated, turning research into credible, practical action.
More on this challenge