Following its World Ocean Day launch, everyone from scientists to conservationists, and from community groups to environmental funders now have access to an innovative new knowledge sharing platform: SeagrassRestorer.
Ana Sousa, researcher at CESAM and professor at Department of Biology , said: “The launch of SeagrassRestorer marks a turning point for the global seagrass community. This platform allows us to share lessons learned — including our setbacks — and to learn from others facing similar challenges in similar and/or different environmental and geographical conditions.”
“In Ria de Aveiro (Portugal), since 2018, our team has seen both the promise and the complexity of restoring Zostera noltei and Zostera marina habitats”, mentioned Ana Sousa, the contact point of SeagrassRestorer at University of Aveiro, one of the Founding Partners – “and this platform is a vital step toward more effective, science-based restoration that supports climate resilience, biodiversity, and coastal communities’ challenges and needs”.
Some of the University of Aveiro seagrass restoration R&D projects concluded or ongoing are BioPradaria (MAR2020/EMFF), Remoliço (MAR2020/EMFF), Remedrigrass (FCT/FEDER), SEAREST-BC, REWRITE (Horizon Europe), LIFE SeagrassRiaWild (Life+), A-AAGORA (Horizon Europe), BLUE-REWET (FCT), wherein seagrass restoration methods have been (and will be) tested, optimized and up-scaled.
Launched by an international partnership comprising some of the world’s leading seagrass scientists, SeagrassRestorer provides a unique opportunity to learn not just from each other’s restoration successes but, perhaps more importantly, each other’s restoration failures.
Seagrass meadows have faced significant losses across the globe. In response to this, a growing number of initiatives are underway in an attempt to restore these vital underwater ecosystems, with projects taking place in diverse locations ranging from temperate estuaries to tropical lagoons. But seagrass restoration is not as simple as planting trees on land. While some projects have achieved notable success, most scientists agree that the majority of seagrass restoration projects fail to meet their intended goals.
SeagrassRestorer fosters global collaboration and knowledge sharing within the global seagrass restoration community like never before. Users can share and download information on where, when, and how seagrass restoration projects have been undertaken, and, importantly for those planning their own projects, what methods have worked, and what methods have not.
SeagrassRestorer represents a crucial step forward in the field of seagrass restoration. Filling a critical gap by providing an open-access, interactive, and continuously updated portal that records details of seagrass restoration projects across the globe. By centralizing data, promoting transparency, and fostering collaboration, it aims to accelerate progress in marine habitat restoration and contribute to the resilience of coastal ecosystems.
Founding partners of SeagrassRestorer include Project Seagrass, Swansea University, Deakin University, Universiteit Stellenbosch, University of Groningen, Universidade do Algarve, Hassanudin University, Göteborgs universitet, Dalhousie University, CQ University, and University of Aveiro.