Protection of seagrasses is key to building resilience to climate change
New UN report puts emphasis on the importance of seagrasses.
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Seagrass meadows can be a powerful nature-based climate solution and help sustain communities hard-hit by stressors such as the COVID-19 pandemic, but these important ecosystems continue to decline. The importance of seagrasses is highlighted in a new report, Out of the Blue: The Value of Seagrasses to the Environment and to People, released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) together with GRID-Arendal and the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC).
Lina Mtwana Nordlund, associate senior lecturer/assistant Professor at Department of Earth Sciences, Natural Resources and Sustainable Development, is one of the co-authors of the report.
"An estimated 7 per cent of seagrass habitat is being lost worldwide each year, and at least 22 of the world’s 72 seagrass species are in decline. Since the late 19th century, almost 30 per cent of known seagrass area across the globe has been lost."