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150573 - Seagrass restoration is possible - insights and lessons.pdf (548.04 kB)

Seagrass restoration is possible: insights and lessons from Australia and New Zealand

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posted on 2023-05-21, 08:42 authored by Tan, YM, Dalby, O, Kendrick, GA, Statton, J, Sinclair, EA, Fraser, MW, Macreadie, PI, Gillies, CL, Coleman, RA, Waycott, M, van Dijk, KJ, Verges, A, Donald RossDonald Ross, Campbell, ML, Matheson, FE, Jackson, EL, Irving, AD, Govers, LL, Connolly, RM, McLeod, IM, Rasheed, MA, Kirkman, H, Flindt, MR, Lange, T, Miller, AD, Sherman, CDH
Seagrasses are important marine ecosystems situated throughout the world's coastlines. They are facing declines around the world due to global and local threats such as rising ocean temperatures, coastal development and pollution from sewage outfalls and agriculture. Efforts have been made to reduce seagrass loss through reducing local and regional stressors, and through active restoration. Seagrass restoration is a rapidly maturing discipline, but improved restoration practices are needed to enhance the success of future programs. Major gaps in knowledge remain, however, prior research efforts have provided valuable insights into factors influencing the outcomes of restoration and there are now several examples of successful large-scale restoration programs. A variety of tools and techniques have recently been developed that will improve the efficiency, cost effectiveness, and scalability of restoration programs. This review describes several restoration successes in Australia and New Zealand, with a focus on emerging techniques for restoration, key considerations for future programs, and highlights the benefits of increased collaboration, Traditional Owner (First Nation) and stakeholder engagement. Combined, these lessons and emerging approaches show that seagrass restoration is possible, and efforts should be directed at upscaling seagrass restoration into the future. This is critical for the future conservation of this important ecosystem and the ecological and coastal communities they support.

History

Publication title

Frontiers in Marine Science

Volume

7

Article number

617

Number

617

Pagination

1-21

ISSN

2296-7745

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

Frontiers Research Foundation

Place of publication

Switzerland

Rights statement

Copyright 2020 Tan, Dalby, Kendrick, Statton, Sinclair, Fraser, Macreadie, Gillies, Coleman, Waycott, van Dijk, Vergés, Ross, Campbell, Matheson, Jackson, Irving, Govers, Connolly, McLeod, Rasheed, Kirkman, Flindt, Lange, Miller and Sherman. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY).

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems; Coastal or estuarine biodiversity; Rehabilitation or conservation of coastal or estuarine environments