This year, from June 17 to 21, 2024, Naples hosted the World Seagrass Conference & 15th International Seagrass Biology Workshop, bringing together 486 experts from 48 countries dedicated to seagrass conservation. These experts gathered on the topic “Seagrasses in the Anthropocene,” focusing on the increasing pressures of human activities on these ecosystems.
The conference aimed to address key questions:
- To which extent species are resilient to environmental changes?
- Which are the mechanisms behind that?
- What can we do to ensure seagrass sustainability?
- Which methodologies can we apply and/or further develop for keeping meadows functional?
- How can we effectively combine socio-economic, cultural and management approaches with the basic science?
The program was divided into three thematic sections:
- Seagrass response to environmental change;
- Seagrass community diversity and species interactions;
- Seagrass conservation, management and citizen science.
Given that one of Sunce’s strategic goals focuses on the preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems, participation in the sessions of the third thematic section was of particular importance to us. The sessions included lectures on the monitoring and restoration of seagrasses, as well as their resilience.
Sunce presented its seagrass monitoring results
On behalf of Sunce, Fedra Dokoza, Associate at Nature Conservation Department, presented a poster titled “Long term Seagrass Meadow Monitoring in the Protected Areas of the Adriatic Sea“, featuring data collected during the monitoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows in Telašćica Nature Park and Mljet National Park. The data were compared with information from annual reports of public institutions on the number and type of violations, the number of employed rangers, and the area of protected regions over a five-year period (2018–2023). The poster was created in collaboration with Buga Berković, PhD, a long-time collaborator of Sunce.
Superman saving seagrass meadows?
As part of the conference, for some participants an excursion to the Parco Sommerso di Gaiola Marine Protected Area, the only park located in the urban center of Naples was organized. Interestingly, the park has an archaeological site from the Roman Empire era and seagrass meadows. Recently, seagrass transplantation was carried out in this area, but it is still too early to draw conclusions about its success.
The conference also featured workshops focused on the future of seagrasses, stakeholder involvement, and improving scientific communication. A particularly interesting workshop had participants imagine ideal headlines for the front pages of global newspapers, of course, in the context of seagrasses. This exercise allowed for dreaming up improbable scenarios, such as “Completion of Restoration of All Seagrass Habitats,” “Stopping Global Warming,” and even the idea of including a fictional character like Superman, who travels the world saving Posidonia and conducting detailed monitoring of its meadows.
Returning to reality and reviewing the methods and knowledge currently available, along with recommendations for looking toward the future and new technologies, the end of the conference was officially marked.
Innovative approaches and international cooperation are needed for seagrass conservation
Attending the World Seagrass Conference was a unique opportunity for Sunce to connect with colleagues from around the world, exchange contacts, and discuss future collaborations.
– After the discussions and presentations, it quickly became clear to all of us that similar problems trouble almost the entire world, and only through mutual cooperation and an interdisciplinary approach can success be achieved, – said Dokoza.
The conference emphasized the need for a better understanding and preservation of seagrasses through innovative approaches, international cooperation, and data sharing. The importance of blue carbon and the application of new technologies in monitoring and conserving these ecosystems were particularly highlighted. Blue carbon is a vital natural mechanism in the fight against climate change because Posidonia meadows absorb and store large amounts of carbon from the atmosphere, reducing greenhouse gas concentrations and mitigating the effects of global warming. The conservation and restoration of these ecosystems are crucial for the sustainability of our planet and the fight against climate change.
– In the context of habitat restoration, it was discussed that we should primarily focus on protecting areas and only consider restoration in necessary situations, so we do not create situations where habitats are massively destroyed only to be massively restored, – Dokoza explained.
It is particularly important to note that Posidonia is an extremely slow-growing plant, with a growth rate of only a few centimeters per year, which further emphasizes the importance of its prevention and the preservation of existing habitats.
Certainly, efforts in all segments of seagrass conservation and monitoring, as well as the restoration of their habitats, should be directed towards integrating scientific, socio-economic, and management approaches to ensure long-term sustainability and survival.
Unlike many countries, Croatia has a National map of marine habitats
In the context of Sunce and the Republic of Croatia, it is significant that, unlike many countries worldwide, we have a National map of marine habitats (covering 51% of the Adriatic Sea under Croatian jurisdiction). However, it is necessary to note that the area of the Adriatic Sea under national jurisdiction is significantly smaller than the areas owned by countries like Australia and Mexico.
– What caused a ‘wow’ effect among the gathered participants during the presentation of our poster was the continuous series of collected data during the monitoring of meadows in the Telašćica Nature Park area. We also mentioned the seagrass transplantation in Croatia, carried out as part of the SASPAS project, in which Sunce also participated. This topic sparked many discussions. Since only a few countries in the Mediterranean region have conducted transplantation, it is necessary to thoroughly study methods and ways of selecting locations for transplantation, as well as optimal materials for its implementation in the future, – commented Dokoza.
In the context of recommendations from the conference, our future work should focus on the application of newer technologies, such as the use of satellites and radars for monitoring the state and pressures on Posidonia meadows. Considering that free anchoring creates the greatest pressure on Posidonia meadows in the Adriatic, using satellites and radars to obtain data, such as the distribution and number of anchored vessels in protected areas, could significantly reduce the invested energy and provide better data and management responses.
