Seagrass Fund
New UN Report Highlights Seagrass as Important Carbon Sink in Combating Climate Change
Full Report (warning: download is 45mb)
New
IUCN Report on Managing Natural Coastal Carbon
Sinks: This report states that there is a
lack of recognition and focus on
coastal marine ecosystems to complement
activities already well
advanced on land to address the best practice
management of carbon sinks.
Full Report
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out our SeaGrass
Grow
Campaign!!!
Seagrass is a shallow, saltwater
flowering plant.
Seagrass systems rank with mangroves and coral
reefs in terms of
providing shelter, food, and water purifying.
Seagrass is important
habitat for fish and other species. Small,
young fish, seahorses, and
other creatures use it to hide from predators.
Seagrass provides food
for a wide array of species, including manatees
and sea turtles.
Seagrass beds provide water purification and
nutrient cycling, and they
reduce eutrophication (the loss of oxygen
through excess nitrogen in
the water). The beds stabilize sediment, and
dampen wave and current
energy. Binding sediments protects coral reefs,
and the dampening of
storms can help protect human settlements. It
is even possible that
seagrasses will aid in buffering the impacts of
climate change
acidification on coral reefs where they
co-exist. Degradation and loss
of seagrass beds is a cause of concern for
coastal managers due to the
importance of these systems to near-shore
productivity, stability and
biodiversity.
Seagrasses are ancient
plants that evolved from
land plants when dinosaurs roamed the earth.
They are not seaweeds
(marine algae). Seagrasses are unique plants
that flower underwater and
have colonized all but the most polar seas.
There are only 60 species
of seagrass globally. Seagrasses grow under sea
ice as well as adjacent
to coral reefs. They live in shallow water
along exposed coasts and in
sheltered lagoons and
estuaries.
Seagrass is sensitive to
environmental changes because of its high light
requirement, among the
highest of any plant in the world. Like the
canaries that were used to
detect deadly gases in the coal mines,
seagrasses, nicknamed "coastal
canaries," are a valuable tool in the detection
of harmful changes in
the ocean.
Seagrass is a direct source
of food for sea turtles,
geese, dugongs, and manatees. Decomposing
pieces of seagrass, or
detritus, drift downward and provide nutrients
for creatures who have a
very limited food supply in deep ocean canyons.
Seagrass meadows also
support the commercial seafood industry. This
includes seafood such as
lobster, salmon, blue crab, mussels, oysters,
clams, and shrimp. When
seagrass is lost due to increased nutrients, so
is the sea life
dependent upon it. Seagrass meadows provide
income and sustenance for
many coastal peoples.
Seagrass provides
a protective habitat, as
well as a nursery, for many species of sea
life. One benefit of living
in a seagrass meadow is its location away from
reefs, where many
dangerous predators roam. Seagrass meadows are
widespread and can be
found around the world in both temperate and
tropical ecosystems. Their
locations span from southern Australia to
Alaska. Even though many sea
creatures depend on seagrass at some point in
their life, very few use
it throughout their life. After benefiting from
the safety and
protection of the meadows, many species move on
to live in other kinds
of habitats such as coral reefs and mangrove
forests.