Global Status & Conservation Challenges Seagrass: Global Status & Conservation Challenges Len McKenzie James Cook University, Cairns, Queensland, Australia

What are seagrasses? a functional group of marine flowering plants photo courtesy Ria Tan photo courtesy Ria Tan ♀ a functional group of marine flowering plants are tidal or subtidal have light sensitive leaves have a true root system have an internal system of veins produce flowers, fruits and seeds have important ecological roles

Provide many important services nutrient filter Provide many important services food for dugongs nursery/habitat for fisheries coastal protection food for sea turtles blue carbon disease mitigation

Global decline of seagrass meadows Problem Global decline of seagrass meadows Approximately 58% of seagrass meadows globally, have lost part of their distribution According to reports, the documented losses in seagrass meadows globally since 1980 are equivalent to two football (soccer) fields per hour Waycott et al (2009) PNAS 106(30): 12377–12381

Many challenges local & regional recognition of seagrass importance up-to-date information on status & condition identifying threatening activities at local scales balancing the needs of resources users with conservation, economic growth and food security scientific research to support conservation actions

Seagrass extent poorly mapped in the Dugong Range States Seagrass meadows range in size from a few square meters to thousands of square kilometres. Maps of seagrass distribution are either individual observations (points) or measured areas (polygons). As polygon maps provide the only quantitative measure of spatial extent, they are used exclusively for areal estimates. Point data was used only to indicate seagrass presence. Globally (208 countries) mapped (polygon data only) 325,178 km2 but estimated to be up to 600,000 km2 species extent TOTAL (46 states) 22 (24?) 161,496 km2 Pacific Islands (5) 11 (13?) 2,444 km2

Seagrass mapping inconsistencies & lack of standardisation Data includes maps from various times, of various scales (ranging from 1:1,000 to 1:28,510,000), from variable sources, and ranging from anecdotal (no documented/visual evidence) to accurate field validation. Although detailed, the database remains incomplete, as not all researchers and/or agencies contribute data. Country spp coastline (km) extent (km2) New Caledonia 11 2,254 936 Palau 14 1,519 80 Papua New Guinea 13 5,152 117.2 Solomon Islands 10 5,313 66.33 Vanuatu 13 3,132 1,244.73 ??

agricultural/logging runoff industrial/urban runoff overfishing Need to identify the threatening human activities at local scales Direct, e.g., coastal development dredging netting courtesy www.nzqa.govt.nz500 Indirect, e.g., agricultural/logging runoff industrial/urban runoff overfishing In order to manage seagrass we need to have a detailed knowledge of the impacts at local scales, both those impacts that are direct and often simple to identify, and those that are indirect and not as readily obvious as the activities that result in such impacts happen in locations often far removed from the meadow itself. courtesy V.Balaji.OMCAR Foundation

Standardised mapping & monitoring Seagrass-Watch: scientists partnering with local stakeholders Victoria (Australia) Queensland (Australia) Japan NSW (Australia) Papua New Guinea Fiji Pohnpei (FSM) Kosrae (FSM) Solomon Islands Palau Caribbean Florida (USA) Philippines New Caledonia California (USA) Eritrea Sabah (Malaysia) Singapore Johor (Malaysia) China Bangladesh Thailand Indonesia Western Australia Wales (United Kingdom) Spain Viet Nam India Comoros Maldives Kuwait Myanmar Seychelles education only <3yrs monitoring >3yrs monitoring

Seagrass Spotter citizen science entry-level novice Spotted by E Mayhead on 17th January 2017 in Lajas, Puerto Rico Sighting Information: Thalassia testudinum Observed: Snorkelling Observed: Subtidal Coverage: Large area of continuous seagrass (>50m²) Flowers: None Sediment: Pebbles Algae Coverage: 0% novice

Balancing the needs of resources users with conservation, economic growth and food security We having growing evidence of the value of seagrass meadows in supporting the livelihoods, food security and poverty alleviation of communities around the world. A recent study that I have led reveals that fishing activity exists wherever there is seagrass and people. These values need to be maintained and their sustainability improved, this needs to happen with a backdrop of species and habitat conservation, growing economic development, and the problems faced by climate change. This is by far our biggest future challenge for seagrass conservation. Singapore, Mozambique, Indonesia, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Mauritania, Wales