The Magic of Seagrass

A Creative Toolkit For Raising Ocean Awareness

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Seagrass is the ocean's wild savannah

Seagrass certainly doesn't get the interest and protection it deserves. That's why we've created this officially endorsed Ocean Decade Toolkit providing key facts, imagery and other tools needed to help create awareness and inspire action.

The 7 main reasons why seagrass is so important...

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Seagrass = Fish
Seagrass beds provide an essential nursery for a wide variety of commercial fish and endangered species.
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Seagrass = Climate Action
Seagrass covers only 0.1% of the ocean floor, yet seagrass meadows are highly efficient carbon sinks, storing up to 18% of the world’s oceanic carbon. Seagrass has also been known to buffer ocean acidification effects.
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Seagrass = Coral Reefs & Mangroves
Mangroves, seagrass beds and coral reefs work together to promote healthy ocean life.
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Seagrass = Survival
In addition to acting as a nursery habitat, seagrasses provide a home for thousands of species, including endangered animals like turtles and dugongs.
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Seagrass = Protection
Seagrasses break down storm surges, helping to reduce the impact from storms.
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Seagrass = Wealth
Seagrass beds are estimated to be worth $4 million per square kilometer per year and support communities and livelihoods in a number of ways.
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Seagrass = Cleaner Ocean
Seagrasses act as a natural water filter, removing sediment and nutrients from the water and improving water quality.
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Quotes worth sharing

Seagrasses can help us solve our biggest environmental challenges.

// Ronald Jumeau — Permanent Representative to the UN and Ambassador for Climate Change, Republic of Seychelles

Seagrasses represent powerful nature-based solutions to the climate challenge.

// Susan Gardner — Director of Ecosystems Division, UN Environment Programme

What have we gone and done to seagrass?

We're rapidly losing seagrass habitat globally — an estimated football field of seagrass disappears every 30 minutes. Here are the headline issues that everyone should be aware of.

We’re killing seagasses from runoff and pollution.

We’re killing seagrass with destructive fishing practices.

We’re ripping out seagrass to build homes and docks.

We’re destroying seagrass with boat anchors and propellers.

Warm water from climate change is making it harder for seagrasses to survive.

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Who’s doing good and what good are they doing?

Project Seagrass is an environmental charity devoted to the conservation of seagrass ecosystems through education, influence, research and action.

Seagrass-Watch is a global monitoring network that keeps track of trends and conditions of seagrass beds.

Restoration projects in Mozambique are restoring critical seagrass beds and helping communities create local management plans

You don’t need to know much more about seagrass…

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…but we think you might like to.

Seagrass is not seaweed — it’s a flowering plant.
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Seagrass can be found around every continent except Antarctica.
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A single seagrass blade can grow up to 35 feet long.
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