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Have you ever seen something like this on the beach? This is a ball of dry grass, but not ordinary grass. These spongy clumps are created by one of nature's most powerful tools in the fight against climate change. Sea grass. It covers less than 0.2% of the seabed, but absorbs about 10% of all the carbon that enters the ocean each year, impressive, right? But there are some problems. You see, rising ocean temperatures, pollution, changing coastlines, and rising sea levels mean that it needs our help. Luckily, I am a self-proclaimed I adore her and now I'll tell you why. The thing is that seagrass absorbs 35 times more carbon per square meter than the Amazon forests. Scientists are trying to find out where it grows as soon as possible in order to
preserve it. And sometimes nature gives us a clue. In 2022, scientists in the Bahamas made a world-changing discovery. While tagging tiger sharks to track their territories, Dr. Austin Gallagher and his team discovered vast underwater meadows-one of the world's largest known seagrass habitats, probably twice the size of Belgium. It grows along the coasts of all continents except Antarctica, forming the basis for many coastal ecosystems. You can watch a seagrass meadow in the middle of the day and see bubbles coming out of it.
They produce oxygen. Dr. Richard Unsworth is one of the world's leading experts on the study and conservation of seagrass. This seagrass supports incredible biodiversity. When I started studying seagrass as a graduate student, everyone was talking about coral reef conservation, and it became increasingly apparent to me that no one was taking the value of seagrass seriously. seagrass habitats have been seriously degraded. And around the world, approximately 50 football fields of seagrass are lost every day. That's why we created Project Seagrass, to bridge the gap between science and Having seen firsthand
how communities around the world depend on these ecosystems, Richard founded the charity in 2013 to carry out research and restoration projects around the world. It all starts with collecting seeds, and that requires many hands. I can already see the seeds here. In the summer on the Llyn Peninsula in Wales, this community joins forces to make a difference. There is only one month to collect as many seagrass seeds as possible. Those are those little bumps in front. You just have to feel the grass with your hands until you find the seed pods, and then pick them. Once you get used to it, it becomes amazing.
We collected a million seeds here last year, and have collected hundreds of thousands every year for the past 5 years. And all these seeds ended up here. The idea was to obtain the scientific data needed to scale up recovery in the UK. There is much we don't know about the basic physiology of seagrass. In scientific literature, it is called the "ugly duckling" of the marine conservation world . There is incredible beauty in this plant, which literally sustains the lives of people all over the world You can see that there are many different colors, shapes, and sizes in just this one population from North Wales. So, after storing the seeds,
we sow them here. Here you can see these beautiful white roots that have sprouted. Yes. We also try to not only plant plants in the field, but also grow seeds here. Finding donor meadows like the one in North Wales is becoming quite a rare occurrence. We can grow plants on land in such systems and obtain plants for planting in the field, as well as seeds. This means we are less dependent on wild donor meadows. Planting so many seedlings takes a lot of time and effort, but new technologies are helping to scale up seed collection and planting, giving real hope for the future.
Scientists and communities around the world know that if we act now, we can protect and restore our seagrass meadows. These are resilient plants, and in optimal conditions they thrive, with the potential to restore ecosystems around the world, becoming nurseries for marine species, protecting coastlines from storms, and absorbing millions of tons of carbon. This seaweed is a clever thing. To learn more, follow the link below.
