Protecting Seagrass Meadows

Protecting Seagrass Meadows
Portugal

Sasemar spain

Seagrass meadows are among the most productive and important underwater ecosystems in the world. Found in coastal areas, lagoons, and estuaries, they are teeming with life. They provide habitats and food for fish, seahorses, crabs, dolphins, and other marine mammals. They sequester carbon dioxide, and as such are vital to mitigating climate change. They even provide coastal storm protection.

But too often, seagrass meadows are being destroyed and degraded by human activity. Of particular concern in Portugal is the meadow in the Sado Estuary, south of Lisbon, which has been severely depleted in recent years, leading to a decline in marine life, particularly the resident dolphin population.

So, two Portuguese Navy units have joined forces with the environmental NGO Ocean Alive to assist in the preservation of this area. The Maritime Operational Experimentation Centre (CEOM) and the X31 unit, have engaged in a series of actions, including an underwater clean-up, during which nearly 250 kilogrammes of waste were collected from the meadows. During one of the dives, a seahorse was identified in a new area.

The overall aim of the collaboration between the Portuguese Navy and the NGO is to improve monitoring methods to verify the impact of the project on the seagrass meadows, as well as analysing and defining measures to protect and raise awareness of this delicate ecosystem.

Find out more about the project (external link)