SEAGRASS ECOSYSTEMS RESEARCH
At Project Seagrass, we recognise that the pressures on our oceans are urgent. Since our inception, we’ve been focused on applied seagrass ecosystem research, geared towards making an impact in the real world.
Our research is lead by scientists at the Department of Biosciences, Swansea University and the Department of Ecology, Environment and Plant Sciences, Stockholm University.
The team are engaged in basic and applied research into the structure, function and resilience of seagrass meadows within a linked social-ecological system and support the UN Decade on Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.
Our research work is globally focussed and includes projects running in Europe, across the Into-Pacific, and the Caribbean and involves collaborators at a number of internationally leading institutes.
THEMES
Seagrass as Bioindicators
![](https://www.projectseagrass.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/fish-shop.jpg")
Food Security & Livelihoods
Small-Scale Fisheries
Non-Selective Fishing
Seagrass Distribution
Seagrass Ecology
PUBLICATIONS
We’ve lead or co-authored numerous scientific articles focusing on seagrass ecosystem research.
While we endeavour to always publish open access, some of these articles are behind a paywall. If you would like access, just ask. Please email Benjamin Jones via ben@projectseagrass.org.
2021
- Dalby, O., Sinha, I., Unsworth, R. K., McKenzie, L. J., Jones, B. L., & Cullen-Unsworth, L. C. (2021). Citizen Science Driven Big Data Collection Requires Improved and Inclusive Societal Engagement. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 432.
- Jones, B. L., Nordlund, L. M., Unsworth, R. K., Jiddawi, N. S., & Eklöf, J. S. (2021). Seagrass structural traits drive fish assemblages in small-scale fisheries. Frontiers in Marine Science, 8, 354.
- Unsworth, R. K., Higgs, A., Walter, B., Cullen-Unsworth, L. C., Inman, I., & Jones, B. L. (2021, March). Canopy Accumulation: Are Seagrass Meadows a Sink of Microplastics?. In Oceans(Vol. 2, No. 1, pp. 162-178). MDPI.
- Green, A. E., Unsworth, R. K., Chadwick, M. A., & Jones, P. J. (2021). Historical analysis exposes catastrophic seagrass loss for the United Kingdom. Frontiers in plant science, 12, 261.
2020
- McKenzie, L. J., Nordlund, L. M., Jones, B. L., Cullen-Unsworth, L. C., Roelfsema, C., & Unsworth, R. K. (2020). The global distribution of seagrass meadows. Environmental Research Letters, 15(7), 074041.
- Jones, B. L., & Unsworth, R. K. (2020). The perverse fisheries consequences of mosquito net malaria prophylaxis in East Africa. Ambio, 49(7), 1257-1267.
2019
- Unsworth, R. K., Bertelli, C. M., Cullen-Unsworth, L. C., Esteban, N., Jones, B. L., Lilley, R., … & Rees, S. C. (2019). Sowing the seeds of seagrass recovery using hessian bags. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7, 311.
- Unsworth, R.K., McKenzie, L.J., Collier, C.J., Cullen-Unsworth, L.C., Duarte, C.M., Eklöf, J.S., Jarvis, J.C., Jones, B.L. and Nordlund, L.M., 2019. Global challenges for seagrass conservation. Ambio, 48(8), pp.801-815.
2018
- Jones, B.et al. 2018. Conservation concerns of small-scale fisheries: By-catch impacts of a shrimp and finfish fishery in a Sri Lankan lagoon. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI: 10.3389/fmars.2018.00052
- Hays G.C., Alcoverro, T., Christianen, M.J.A., Duarte, C.M., Hamann, M., Macreadie, P.I., Marsh, H.D., Rasheed, M.A., Thums, M., Unsworth, R.K.F., York, P.H. and Esteban, N. 2018. New Tools to Identify the Location of Seagrass Meadows: Marine Grazers as Habitat Indicators. Frontiers in Marine Science. DOI: 10.2289/fmars.2018.00009
- Jones, B., Cullen-Unsworth, L. and Unsworth, R. K. 2018. Tracking nitrogen source using δ15N reveals human and agricultural drivers of seagrass degradation across the British Isles. Frontiers in Plant Science. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2018.00133
- Cullen-Unsworth, L.et al. 2018. Secret gardens under the sea: What are seagrass meadows and why are they important?. Frontiers for Young Minds 6(2). DOI: 10.3389/frym.2018.00002
2017
- Nordlund, L.et al. 2017. Global significance of seagrass fishery activity. Fish and Fisheries. DOI: 10.1111/faf.12259
- Jones, B.et al. 2017. Crowdsourcing conservation: The role of citizen science in securing a future for seagrass. Marine Pollution Bulletin. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.005
- Cullen-Unsworth, L.C., Jones B.L., Seary, R., Newman, R. and Unsworth, R.K.F. 2017. Reasons for seagrass optimism: local ecological knowledge confirms presence of dugongs. Marine Pollution Bulletin. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.11.007
- Hind-Ozan, E.J. and Jones, B.L. 2017. Seagrass science is growing: a report on the 12th International Seagrass Biology Workshop. Marine Pollution Bulletin. DOI: 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2017.08.017
- Unsworth, R.et al. 2017. Rocking the boat: damage to eelgrass by swinging boat moorings. Frontiers in Plant Science 8, article number: 1309. DOI: 10.3389/fpls.2017.01309
- Unsworth, R.K.F. and Cullen-Unsworth, L.C. 2017. Seagrass meadows. Current Biology 27(11), pp. R443-R445. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2017.01.021
2016
- Unsworth, R.K.F., Jones, B.L. and Cullen-Unsworth, L.C. 2016. Seagrass meadows are threatened by expected loss of peatlands in Indonesia. Global Change Biology 22(9), pp. 2957-2958. DOI: 10.1111/gcb.13392
- Unsworth, R.K.F. and Cullen-Unsworth, L. C. 2016. Seagrass dependent Artisanal Fisheries of Southeast Asia. The Wetland book , pp. 1-9. DOI: 10.1007/978-94-007-6173-5_267-1
- Cullen-Unsworth, L.C. and Unsworth, R.K.F. 2016. Strategies to enhance the resilience of the world’s seagrass meadows. Journal of Applied Ecology 53(4), pp. 967-972. DOI: 10.1111/1365-2664.12637
- Jones, B.L. and Unsworth, R.K.F. 2016. The perilous state of seagrass in the British Isles. Royal Society Open Science 3, article number: 150596. DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150596
