On 1 March, World Seagrass Day was celebrated, a date proclaimed by the United Nations General Assembly to highlight the essential role of these ecosystems in ocean health and in tackling climate change. Seagrass meadows provide food and shelter for countless species, improve water quality, protect coastal areas from erosion, and make a significant contribution to the capture and storage of blue carbon.
CESAM marks this date by underscoring the work carried out through several projects dedicated to the knowledge, conservation, and restoration of seagrass meadows, with a particular focus on the Ria de Aveiro. Examples include LIFE SeaGrassRIAwild, which aims to reverse the conservation status of the seagrass Zostera marina in the Ria de Aveiro and in Portugal through the development of nature-based solutions and a mariculture approach to support large-scale recolonisation programmes. Complementarily, BioPradaRia sought to promote the protection and restoration of biodiversity associated with seagrass meadows in the Ria de Aveiro by testing management measures and lower-impact practices that have strengthened knowledge and conservation of these sensitive habitats. In parallel, initiatives such as RemediGrass use seagrasses as green and blue infrastructure for the rehabilitation of contaminated estuarine areas, contributing to the recovery of degraded ecosystems and the enhancement of biodiversity.
These initiatives are part of a broader CESAM strategy for research and intervention in the ecological restoration of seagrass meadows, which also includes other completed and ongoing R&D projects where seagrass restoration methodologies have been tested, optimised, and scaled up. Through environmental monitoring, the development of new management approaches, and support for public policy design, CESAM reinforces its commitment to sustainability and to the preservation of marine and coastal biodiversity.
Amadeu Soares, Director of CESAM, emphasises: “Marking World Seagrass Day is, for CESAM, a recognition of the importance of these discreet yet fundamental ecosystems for coastal resilience, biodiversity protection, and climate change mitigation. Through our projects dedicated to seagrass meadows, particularly in the Ria de Aveiro, CESAM is contributing scientific knowledge, innovation, and collaborative work with authorities, local stakeholders, and citizens, so that the restoration and conservation of seagrasses increasingly move from being the exception to becoming standard practice in marine and coastal management.”