Richard Unsworth 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

The tragedy of the seagrass commons swansea.ac.uk/media-centre/l… via @SwanseaUni

Warning! Seagrass meadows could be good for your health theconversation.com/seagrass-meado…

Help support @ProjectSeagrass this christmas as part of our BigGive campaign - 24 hours leftto donate and every penny gets doubled. donate.biggive.org/campaign/a05WS…

Your Friday reminder that we need more than ever to fast track the conservation and recovery of seagrass globally, - not just for humanity, but for the amazing species that call it home royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rs…

Amazing to hear the news about the reclassification of Green Turtles as no longer endangered. A well-needed dose of #oceanoptimism. But let's not forget we need to keep supporting the habitats that underpin so much of the biodiversity in our oceans.

Seagrass meadows are far more than just carbon sinks, they have huge biodiversity and societal values. Protecting them is for all our sakes This excellent paper shows how this value has changed from the historic to the contemporary: link.springer.com/article/10.100…

Seagrass meadows are not separate from people, but places where communities can thrive alongside nature. At @project_seagrass we've been inspired by the hastag #wearenature from the amazing team at the betweenthetrees.co.uk sciencedirect.com/science/articl…

We are still looking for sponsorship to host this years UK Seagrass Symposium, if you're interested in getting involved please email me at richard@projectseagrass.org In case you need a reminder of why this event is so important, here's a little nugget:

Did you know: At least 20% of the worlds documented seagrass has gone - the actual loss is probably much higher. Thats at least 5600km2. On the most conservative estimate, that's habitat for at least 5.6 billion fish. doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15…

Did you know that key fisheries species around the World, such as the Atlantic Cod, Blue-Striped Grunt, Pacific Herring, and White-Spotted Spinefoot, spend critical times in their life cycle in seagrass, supporting the productivity of these fisheries? conbio.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.11…

Did you know that seagrass is so productive that it alters the seawater chemistry? When adjacent to coral reefs, the corals can be more resilient to ocean acidification. iopscience.iop.org/article/10.108…

If we don't know where seagrass is, how can we understand it, and help protect it from impact? To help map the world's seagrass, get involved with seagrassspotter.org Watch this video to learn how: youtube.com/watch?v=A8VCtI…

It's amazing to see the fantastic research that now pops up right, left and centre about seagrass - here's some of the cool things we've learned recently:

Did you know that seagrass supports many species of shrimp around the world, from those that feed a lot of fish, to those that end up on BBQs and feed bigger mouths. Love eating shrimp, then support @projectseagrass

Did you know that seagrass slows water movement around our coasts? This increases the settlement of particles in the water column, trapping many contaminants within the meadow and keeping the sea clean. Some bacterial and viral contaminants are even neutralised by the seagrass.

Did you know that Green Turtles target seagrass as a key food source, with some estimates suggesting they consume 2kg a day of leaves.

Did you know that many species of birds target seagrass meadows as a foraging ground due to the abundant life they support. This includes the Eurasian Curlew (Numenius arquata).

Did you know that seagrasses provide key habitat for many species of seahorse around the world?

Did you know, seagrasses provide nursery habitat for fish species of many of our fish & chip favourites? Seagrass helps ensure the supply of those fish in the long term.

Did you know seagrasses help keep coral reefs healthy by supporting associated animals, filtering the water to keep it clean, and maintaining a good growth environment for corals?

You could watch the news 24/7 & not know that: Our planet’s at its hottest in 120,000 years. Methane levels are their highest in MILLIONS of years. CO2 levels their highest in 3 MILLION years. We're in a climate crisis. Denying it won't solve the problem. #ActOnClimate #climate #energy #panelsnotpipelines