{"id":38801,"date":"2025-03-08T19:08:31","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T13:38:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=38801"},"modified":"2025-03-08T19:08:32","modified_gmt":"2025-03-08T13:38:32","slug":"seagrass-conservation-key-to-global-biodiversity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/08-03-2025\/seagrass-conservation-key-to-global-biodiversity","title":{"rendered":"Seagrass Conservation Key to Global Biodiversity"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Syllabus: GS3\/ Environment, Conservation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  • A recent review published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment highlights declining status of seagrass worldwide due to human activities at a rate of 1-2% per year.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    About Seagrasses<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
      \n
    • Seagrasses are submerged, flowering plants that form dense underwater meadows<\/strong>. They evolved from terrestrial plants and adapted to marine environments.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Unlike seaweed (which is algae)<\/strong>, seagrasses have roots, stems, and leaves and can produce flowers and seeds.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      Importance of Seagrass Ecosystems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
        \n
      • Carbon Sequestration and Climate Action: <\/strong>Known as the “lungs of the sea,”<\/strong> seagrasses can store carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Biodiversity and Marine Life Protection: <\/strong>Seagrass meadows provide habitat and nurseries for fish species<\/strong> and shelter for threatened & endangered marine species<\/strong>.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Coastal Protection: <\/strong>Acting as natural barriers, seagrasses protect coastal communities from storms and erosion<\/strong>, thereby reducing disaster risks.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Economic Values: <\/strong>Seagrass meadows provide immense economic benefits, valued <\/strong>at US $6.4 trillion annually<\/strong>. They support coastal economies by sustaining fisheries, tourism<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

        Seagrass in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
          \n
        • India, with a recalculated coastline of 11,098 km (2023-24)<\/strong>, has extensive seagrass meadows, particularly in the Gulf of Mannar, Palk Bay, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep Islands, and the Gulf of Kutch<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

          Threats to Seagrass Ecosystems<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
            \n
          • Anthropogenic Activities<\/strong> like urbanization, pollution and agricultural activities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Weak Enforcement of Laws<\/strong> for protecting coastal ecosystems<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Biodiversity Loss<\/strong> and unregulated fishing and boating activities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

            Global and Indian Restoration Efforts<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n
              \n
            • Global Success Stories:<\/strong>\n
                \n
              • Seagrass Watch: <\/strong>A collaborative citizen science program that trains volunteers, NGOs, and research organizations to monitor, document, and conserve seagrass habitats worldwide.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Blue Carbon Initiative: <\/strong>A global project focusing on carbon sequestration in coastal ecosystems, including mangroves, salt marshes, and seagrasses.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Indian Conservation Initiatives:<\/strong>\n
                  \n
                • National Policy on Marine Fisheries (2017):<\/strong> Recognizes seagrass meadows as essential coastal marine ecosystems alongside mangroves and coral reefs.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Climate Resilience Project: <\/strong>Implemented in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Odisha. Supported by a grant from the Global Climate Fund (GCF).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Seagrass Restoration in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                  Source: DTE<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  A recent review published in Nature Reviews Earth & Environment highlights declining status of seagrass worldwide due to human activities at a rate of 1-2% per year.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-38801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38801","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=38801"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38801\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":38803,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/38801\/revisions\/38803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=38801"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=38801"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=38801"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}