Coastal Habitats play a very important role in the health of the Ocean and the security of the coastline. Seagrass meadows are one of the critical habitats that are often forgotten because they may not have the "sexiness" that other habitats such as coral reefs have; however, they provide a nursery habitat for thousands of species, filter out nutrients and heavy metals from the water, and act as a carbon sink.

There is one more benefit that certain Seagrass species provide the Ocean and that is filtering out large amounts of microplastics. The Seagrass species, Posidonia oceanica, produce fibrous material known as Neptune balls that trap 1,500 plastic particles per kilogram of seagrass each year. The Neptune balls often wash ashore where they can be picked up and discarded. 

Researchers don't know the effects of plastics on the seagrass species as trapping plastic is a fairly new discovery and more research will be required.

P. oceanica is not the only seagrass species to have this ability to trap plastic pieces, Enhalus acodoides, is a species found off the coast of China's Hainan province and has been observed to trap plastics too, just a lesser amount. 

The discovery adds to the benefit of keeping Seagrass meadows around; however, the Mediterranean species are slowly disappearing from the area due to a number of threats such as Climate Change, invasive species, pollution, boating anchors, and coastal development. 

Link to Article: https://news.mongabay.com/2021/02/this-mediterranean-seagrass-filters-plastic-waste-but-its-also-under-threat/

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Waves can be a detrimental thing for our shores. Wave action through storms along beaches can erode the coastline, especially beaches due to their small sediment particle size, over a short period of time.

Coastal habitats such as Coral Reefs, Mangroves, and Seagrass Meadows have been playing an important role for the coastline to ensure it stays secure from erosion. 

In today's episode, I discuss why Seagrass Meadow habitats are so important to reducing Climate Change, securing to the coastline, and protecting biodiversity as they face destruction from human disturbance, invasive species, and water quality. 

Link To Article: https://www.nioz.nl/en/news/caribbean-islands-face-loss-of-protection-and-biodiversity-as-seagrass-loses-terrain

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You may have seen a plethora of articles and political announcements on tree planting to mitigate (reduce) climate change by absorbing more Carbon Dioxide. As news broke about the destruction of the Amazon Rainforest a few months ago, scientists reiterated the need for trees to absorb carbon dioxide (CO2), a Greenhouse Gas (GHG) that contributes to Climate Change. However, trees aren't the only plants that absorb CO2. Seagrasses may even be a better plant type to absorb the GHG.   

In this episode, I discuss the benefit of protecting Seagrass habitats and how countries should consider restoring these useful habitats to help attain the goals set out in the Paris Climate Change Agreement.

Link to article: https://www.unenvironment.org/news-and-stories/story/seagrass-secret-weapon-fight-against-global-heating?fbclid=IwAR1_cqwRzYiyCk-KYKAn3I4r20NZeSR-wEMrrsgy4WAbCBhfHvNxyQPWVQY

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Today's episode of the Speak Up For Blue Podcast has me talking to 3/4 of the Project Seagrass Team. We discuss all things seagrass and how the team is trying to get Seagrass part of the Conservation Conversation.

Seagrass are important ecosystems as they hold a huge amount of the biodiversity and abundance of important fisheries species in coastal systems around the world. The Project Seagrass team discuss some projects in Southeast Asia where they are working with communities to assess and protect seagrass meadows to ensure the sustainability supply of fisheries on which the community depends for food. 

As this is an IMCC5 podcast Season, the team and I chat about how important it was for them to be an exhibitor at the conference. They talk about the connections they have made and the people with which they discuss seagrass projects. 

Can you tell why I love this team?!?!?! 

Check you their links below:

Project Seagrass Website

Seagrass Spotter

Project Seagrass Twitter

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

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The Project Seagrass Team has a purpose to map the world's seagrass distribution. Not an easy task, so they are asking for your help as well as everyone else to help achieve their goal. 

They developed a tool called the Seagrass Spotter. It's a website and an app for iPhone and Android devices with the goal to empower you to identify the presence of seagrasses wherever you live/travel around the world. 

Listen for more details.

Project Seagrass Twitter

Seagrass Spotter App (iTunes)

Seagrass Spotter App (Google Play)

Enjoy The Podcast!!!

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Seagrass monitoring projects are crucial to the overall health of coastal systems as seagrass beds all around the world are habitats of great biodiversity...and biodiversity make habitats more resistant to degradation. Unfortunately, monitoring projects are hard to start and maintain because it's difficult to find people to do the work on a consistent basis and it's difficult to find money to pay for the program. In comes community programs, or Ocean Citizen Science Projects.

Fiona West is the manager of the Broome Community Seagrass Program in the Kimberley Region of Northwest Australia. Her program has been in place for 11 years (that's a lot of data) that functions based on the work of citizen scientists (locals and tourists) who want to take care of the environment in this part of the world. The program is part of the Seagrass Watch program, an international program that provide citizen science programs with protocols and analysis support for their region.

Fiona describes how the program works and how the Aboriginal People and the Australian government have bee working together to establish a great program monitoring trends in this part of the world. 

Listen as Fiona speaks passionately about Broome Bay and the people who protect it.

Enjoy the Podcast!!!

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Richard Lilley and his co-founders, Benjamin Jones and Dr. Richard Unsworth, are working their butts off to make sure that you and I are talking about seagrass. I hope this interview will not only teach you about seagrass, but tell you about how much trouble they are in and why we need to ensure seagrass habitats are protected around the world.

The three scientists and co-founders created Project Seagrass as a way to facility education, research, and campaigns to protect seagrass habitats around the world. They are fairly effective at it too. Project Seagrass is everywhere: on social media; putting on conferences; and, leading in cutting edge research and conservation projects around the world. 

I had the pleasure of sitting down with Richard to discuss why seagrass habitats are so important and what they are doing about it.

Take a listen to the interview to find out.

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