Hidden treasures of our ocean
Women participants from Nataleira and Silana during an awareness session.
Among the Pacific islands, Fiji is home to six species of seagrass, each contributing to the vitality of its coastal ecosystems.
These species, including Halodule pinifolia and Halophila ovalis, play a vital role in sustaining Fiji’s rich marine life and coastal communities. Yet, despite their importance, seagrasses remain an underappreciated resource, often overlooked in conservation efforts.
Around the world, studies reveal that seagrass meadows are disappearing at an alarming rate—globally, an estimated seven per cent of seagrasses are lost every year.
A UN study has warned that seagrass meadows, along with other coastal habitats, are among the most threatened ecosystems on Earth. In Fiji, they are impacted by activities like coastal development, pollution and destructive fishing practices.
In recognition of the irreplaceable role seagrasses play in the health of our planet, the United Nations General Assembly declared March 1st as World Seagrass Day in 2022.
This day serves as a call to action, urging nations, communities, and individuals to raise awareness about the significance of seagrass ecosystems in supporting biodiversity and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Seagrass meadows can provide up to 24 ecosystem services. Seagrass may be quiet in its presence, but its impact on both marine and human life is profound. Among these are vital functions like serving as breeding grounds for fish and turtles, helping filter water, and most importantly, acting as significant carbon sinks.
Pilot seagrass restoration project
One of the most exciting avenues for conservation is citizen science. As the 2020 United Nations Environment Programme report “Out of the Blue: The Value of Seagrasses to the Environment and to People” suggests, involving local communities in the stewardship of seagrass meadows through co-management initiatives can greatly enhance the effectiveness of conservation policies. This participatory approach ensures that policies are not only based on scientific data but are also grounded in local knowledge, fostering a deeper connection between communities and their natural environment.
As part of the Management and Conservation of Blue Carbon Ecosystems (MACBLUE) project, a pilot seagrass restoration project in Fiji was trialled with internationally recognised seagrass restoration techniques.
In collaboration with the Fiji National University’s College of Agriculture, Fisheries & Forestry (FNU), the Locally Managed Marine Area (LMMA), the Tailevu Provincial Council, and the four coastal villages of Dawasamu district (Driti, Silana, Nataleira, and Nasinu), the MACBLUE project trials different restoration techniques for seagrass meadows.
This initiative explores how these techniques impact seagrass meadow health and expansion in both degraded and non-degraded meadows, with the lessons learned contributing to future sustainable management strategies for seagrass.
The project has provided crucial lessons for future seagrass restoration in the Pacific. Results showed that the Sods/Turf method, which consists of transplanting healthy seagrass patches into degraded areas, was the most successful in terms of survival rates and planting efficiency.
The community, especially the youth groups, participated actively in the restoration activities and afterwards in the monitoring of the restored areas.
From the lessons learned in this pilot project, several recommendations were made for future seagrass restoration efforts;
Prioritise materials that don’t trap sediments to avoid hindering the natural process of restoration;
Handle seagrass sods carefully to ensure they are not damaged before transplanting;
Ensure that restoration activities occur during low tide for optimal planting conditions; and
The project also highlighted the importance of community involvement and the integration of traditional knowledge in the restoration process.
A shared responsibility
For nations like Fiji, the preservation and restoration of seagrass meadows have become a matter of national and regional priority. Fiji has committed to several international environmental agreements, including the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, the UN Convention on Biodiversity, and the Paris Agreement.
These commitments recognize the importance of preserving carbon sinks—like seagrass—in the fight against climate change. Also, neighbours like Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu are drafting blue carbon policies that will prioritise the conservation of these ecosystems.
Last year, the Commonwealth Heads of Government, in their Apia Commonwealth Ocean Declaration, affirmed the importance of blue carbon ecosystems, such as mangroves, seagrasses, and salt marshes, in both climate change mitigation and adaptation. This declaration encouraged countries to include the protection and restoration of these ecosystems in their national strategies for coastal management.
Locally, biodiversity assessments are being carried out in key sites across the Rewa and Lomaiviti provinces and parts of Vanua Levu to understand the health of seagrass meadows and the carbon stocks they hold. The findings from these studies will be vital in national greenhouse gas inventories and reporting, contributing to Fiji’s commitments under the Paris Agreement and its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs).
As the world grapples with the growing challenges of climate change, the restoration and conservation of seagrass ecosystems must be recognised as a critical priority. Fiji’s efforts to protect its seagrass meadows are part of a larger global movement, but they also remind us that every nation, every community, and every individual can play a role in this crucial mission.
In the end, it is not just about saving seagrass, it’s about saving ourselves.
Re-posted from The Fiji Times.