Every year, we contribute numerous articles to the scientific literature.
Publications led by the Project Seagrass team are highlighted in bold.
Project Seagrass publishes cutting-edge research to improve seagrass conservation, inform global policy and build the capacity of our partners.
Since our inception in 2013, we’ve led and contributed to nearly 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles across numerous different themes associated with seagrass meadows.
This includes our pioneering work recognising the role of seagrass meadows in providing food security, seagrass links to small-scale fisheries, the role of citizen science, effects of nutrient pollution, restoration methods, and more.
Use the year tabs below to find our work.
Project Seagrass publishes cutting-edge research to improve seagrass conservation, inform global policy and build the capacity of our partners.
Since our inception in 2013, we’ve led and contributed to nearly 100 peer-reviewed scientific articles across numerous different themes associated with seagrass meadows.
This includes our pioneering work recognising the role of seagrass meadows in providing food security, seagrass links to small-scale fisheries, the role of citizen science, effects of nutrient pollution, restoration methods, and more.
Use the year tabs below to find our work.
Every year, we contribute numerous articles to the scientific literature.
Publications led by the Project Seagrass team are highlighted in bold.
Stakeholder diversity matters: employing the wisdom of crowds for data-poor fisheries assessments. Jones et al., Scientific Reports 2025
Seagrass-Associated Biodiversity Influences Organic Carbon in a Temperate Meadow. O’Neill et al., Oceans 2024
When fishers ask for more protection: Co-produced spatial management recommendations to protect seagrass meadows from leisure boating. Boucek et al, Marine Policy 2024
Rapid seagrass meadow expansion in an Indian Ocean bright spot. Floyd et al., Scientific Reports 2024
A Latitudinal Cline in the Taxonomic Structure of Eelgrass Epifaunal Communities is Associated With Plant Genetic Diversity. Gross et al., Global Ecology and Biogeography 2024
New directions for Indigenous and local knowledge research and application in fisheries science: Lessons from a systematic review. Jones et al., Fish and Fisheries 2024
Co-benefits of and trade-offs between natural climate solutions and Sustainable Development Goals. Mariani et al., Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment 2024
One hundred priority questions for advancing seagrass conservation in Europe. Nordlund et al., Plants People Planet 2024
Map and protect seagrass for biodiversity. Unsworth & Jones, Science 2024
Ten golden rules for restoration to secure resilient and just seagrass social-ecological systems. Unsworth et al., Plants People Planet 2024
Overcoming ecological feedbacks in seagrass restoration. Unsworth et al., Restoration Ecology 2024
High-resolution wave data for improving marine habitat suitability models. Bertelli et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2023
Bottlenecks to seed-based seagrass restoration reveal opportunities for improvement. Unsworth et al., Global Ecology and Conservation 2023
Ocean current patterns drive the worldwide colonization of eelgrass (Zostera marina). Yu et al., Nature Plants 2023
The use of habitat suitability modelling for seagrass: A review. Bertelli et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2022
A Pleistocene legacy structures variation in modern seagrass ecosystems. Duffy et al., PNAS 2022
The biogeography of community assembly: latitude and predation drive variation in community trait distribution in a guild of epifaunal crustaceans. Gross et al., Proceedings of the Royal Society B 2022
Local ecological knowledge reveals change in seagrass social–ecological systems. Jones et al., Oceans 2022
Dependence on seagrass fisheries governed by household income and adaptive capacity. Jones et al., Ocean & Coastal Management 2022
Unintended consequences of sustainable development initiatives: risks and opportunities in seagrass social-ecological systems. Jones et al., Ecology & Society 2022
Report on the European BioEco observing system. Ratnarajah et al., EuroSea 2022
A regional and international framework for evaluating seagrass management and conservation. Strachan et al., Marine Policy 2022
Effectiveness of Moorings Constructed from Rope in Reducing Impacts to Seagrass. Unsworth et al., Oceans 2022
The planetary role of seagrass conservation. Unsworth et al., Science 2022
Bycatch from seagrass fisheries: implication for conservation. Ambo-Rappe et al., IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2021
Unravelling the Spatial and Temporal Plasticity of Eelgrass Meadows. Bertelli et al., Frontiers in Plant Science 2021
Citizen Science Driven Big Data Collection Requires Improved and Inclusive Societal Engagement. Dalby et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2021
Historical Analysis Exposes Catastrophic Seagrass Loss for the United Kingdom. Green et al., Frontiers in Plant Science 2021
Seagrass Structural Traits Drive Fish Assemblages in Small-Scale Fisheries. Jones et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2021
Consistency Is Critical for the Effective Use of Baited Remote Video. Jones et al., Oceans 2021
Adaptive Resolution Imaging Sonar (ARIS) as a tool for marine fish identification. Jones et al., Fisheries Research 2021
Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A global bright spot. McKenzie et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2021
Seagrass ecosystem contributions to people’s quality of life in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories. McKenzie et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2021
Anthropogenic pressures and life history predict trajectories of seagrass meadow extent at a global scale. Turschwell et al., PNAS 2021
Seagrass Meadows Provide a Significant Resource in Support of Avifauna. Unsworth & Butterworth, Diversity 2021
Canopy Accumulation: Are Seagrass Meadows a Sink of Microplastics? Unsworth et al., Oceans 202
Coastal restoration success via emergent trait-mimicry is context dependent. van der Heide et al., Biological Conservation 2021
The response of the seagrass Halodule wrightii Ascherson to environmental stressors. Bertelli et al., Estuarine Coastal and Shelf Science 2020
A global review of green turtle diet: sea surface temperature as a potential driver of omnivory levels. Esteban et al., Marine Biology 2020
Demersal Fish Assemblages in NE Atlantic Seagrass and Kelp. Furness & Unsworth, Diversity 2020
Improving benthic biodiversity assessments in turbid aquatic environments. Jones et al., Aquatic Conservation Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 2020
Artificial Intelligence Meets Citizen Science to Supercharge Ecological Monitoring. McClure et al., Patterns 2020
The global distribution of seagrass meadows. McKenzie et al., Environmental Research Letters 2020
Mimicry of emergent traits amplifies coastal restoration success. Temmink et al., Nature Communications 2020
Climate drives the geography of marine consumption by changing predator communities. Whalen et al., PNAS 2020
The perverse fisheries consequences of mosquito net malaria prophylaxis in East Africa. Jones & Unsworth, Ambio 2019
Sowing the Seeds of Seagrass Recovery Using Hessian Bags. Unsworth et al., Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 2019
Perspectives on seagrass ecosystem services from a coastal community. Ambo-Rappe et al., IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2019
Toward a Coordinated Global Observing System for Seagrasses and Marine Macroalgae. Duffy et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2019
Artisanal fish fences pose broad and unexpected threats to the tropical coastal seascape. Exton et al., Nature Communications 201
Social-ecological drivers and dynamics of seagrass gleaning fisheries. Furkon et al., Ambio 2019
Improving visual biodiversity assessments of motile fauna in turbid aquatic environments. Jones et al., Limnology and Oceanography Methods 2019
“Samba” Fish Catching Operations in the seagrass meadows of Selayar Island, Indonesia. Marimba et al., IOP Conference Series Earth and Environmental Science 2019
Green turtle diet is dominated by seagrass in the Western Indian Ocean except amongst gravid females. Stokes et al., Marine Biology 2019
Light Stress Responses by the Eelgrass, Zostera marina (L). Bertelli & Unsworth, Frontiers in Environmental Science 2018
A call for seagrass protection. Cullen-Unsworth & Unsworth, Science 2018
Secret Gardens Under the Sea: What are Seagrass Meadows and Why are They Important? Cullen-Unsworth et al., Frontiers for Young Minds 2018
The discovery of deep-water seagrass meadows in a pristine Indian Ocean wilderness revealed by tracking green turtles. Esteban et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2018
New Tools to Identify the Location of Seagrass Meadows: Marine Grazers as Habitat Indicators. Hays et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2018
Complex yet fauna-deficient seagrass ecosystems at risk in southern Myanmar. Jones et al., Botanica Marina 2018
Conservation Concerns of Small-Scale Fisheries: By-Catch Impacts of a Shrimp and Finfish Fishery in a Sri Lankan Lagoon. Jones et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2018
Tracking Nitrogen Source Using Delta15N Reveals Human and Agricultural Drivers of Seagrass Degradation across the British Isles. Jones et al., Frontiers in Plant Science 2018
One hundred priority questions for landscape restoration in Europe. Ockendon et al., Biological Conservation 2018
Latitude, temperature, and habitat complexity predict predation pressure in eelgrass beds across the Northern Hemisphere. Reynolds et al., Ecology 2018
Blue Carbon Storage Capacity of Temperate Eelgrass (Zostera marina) Meadows. Röhr et al., Global Biogeochemical Cycles 2018
Global challenges for seagrass conservation. Unsworth et al., Ambio 2018
Seagrass meadows support global fisheries production. Unsworth et al., Conservation Letters 2018
Indonesia’s globally significant seagrass meadows are under widespread threat. Unsworth et al., The Science of The Total Environment 2018
A changing climate for seagrass conservation?. Unsworth et al., Current Biology 2018
Towards recognition of seagrasses, and their sustainable management. van Keulen et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2018
Seagrass research in Southeast Asia. Yaakub et al., Botanica Marina 2018
Finding some seagrass optimism in Wales, the case of Zostera noltii. Bertelli et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2017
Reasons for seagrass optimism: Local ecological knowledge confirms presence of dugongs. Cullen-Unsworth et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2017
Seagrass science is growing: A report on the 12th International Seagrass Biology Workshop. Hind-Ozan & Jones, Marine Pollution Bulletin 2017
Crowdsourcing conservation: The role of citizen science in securing a future for seagrass. Jones et al., Marine Pollution Bulletin 2017
Global significance of seagrass fishery activity. Nordlund et al., Fish and Fisheries 2017
Habitat Configuration Alters Herbivory across the Tropical Seascape. Swindells et al., Frontiers in Marine Science 2017
Seagrass meadows. Unsworth & Cullen-Unsworth, Current Biology 2017
Rocking the Boat: Damage to Eelgrass by Swinging Boat Moorings. Unsworth et al., Frontiers in Plant Science 2017
Find reports on some of our projects below.
Proposal | National Seagrass Action Plan (NSAP) Wales: 2025-2050 Framework Document. Seagrass Network Cymru
Unsworth, RKF., McGarrigle, A., Fox, E., Millington-Drake, M., Perrin, E., Swithinbank, H., Harris, F., Thomson, E., Jones, BLH., Watson, F., Wright, R. (2024). Seagrass vs Water Quality: How the current crisis is damaging our ability to fight climate change. Blue Marine Foundation, Project Seagrass and Surfers Against Sewage Collaborative Report
Developing a UK Seagrass Carbon Code. Ward et al., University of Oxford, Technical Report.
The Ecosystem Service Role of UK Seagrass Meadows. Unsworth et al.
Technical report on seagrass restoration in Dale, Pembrokeshire. Unsworth, R., Furness, E. & Rees, S.
Habitat Suitability modelling for informing Zostera marina restoration in Wales. Bertelli et al.
Marine Survey Report. Ocean Infinity, Project Seagrass.
An Assessment of Seagrass (Zostera Marina) Health in South England in Relation to Water Quality Nutrients. Fox E, Evans AJ, Furness E, Jones B, Unsworth R
Report on the European BioEco observing system. Ratnarajah et al., EuroSea, 2022
Solent Zostera marina Health & Reproductive Surveys. Furness, E., & Unsworth, R.
Methodological trials for the restoration of the seagrass Zostera marina in SW Wales. Unsworth, R.K.F., Bertelli, C.M.,
Esteban, N.E., Rees, S., Nuuttila, H.K
We work to make the larger datasets that we work with open access. You can find these below.
Seagrass-associated biodiversity (fish abundance and richness) across five countries in the Central Indo-Pacific in 2022-2023. Bartlett et al., PANGAEA, 2024
Seagrass structural traits across five countries in the Central Indo-Pacific in 2022-2023. Bartlett et al., PANGAEA, 2024
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