We are excited to launch a new partnership with Clean Sailors and navigation app, savvy navvy, to help to protect one of the Ocean’s most valuable habitats, seagrass.
The aim of our new partnership #ProtectOurBeds, is to bring greater awareness to water users about the sensitive habitats that are beneath the waves and help them exist in harmony.
Seagrasses are one of the most valuable and biodiverse habitats on the planet and provide multiple benefits to the environment and society. They can be up to 35 times more efficient at absorbing carbon than rainforests of the same area; despite only covering 0.2% of the Ocean floor, seagrasses store 10% of the Ocean’s carbon. They also provide a habitat for rare and endangered species, and a single hectare of seagrass can support up to 80,000 fish and 100 million small invertebrates.
Despite the importance of seagrass, in the UK alone, we have lost nearly half our seagrass beds since the 1930s, mainly due to avoidable human activity. Anchoring causes damage to delicate seagrass habitats, as the chain drags along the seabed disturbing and damaging the plants. Advanced mooring systems can be used to mitigate this, with a series of mid-water floats that elevate the chain from the seabed, allowing the seagrass to grow, undisturbed.
Through the #ProtectOurBeds campaign, users of the savvy navvy app will be able to see the location of sensitive seagrass habitats and Advanced Mooring Systems. For the first time we are putting the data into the hands of water users, making it accessible, so they can make informed decisions and choose to do their bit to protect this special habitat.
This is just the start of an exciting conversation. There is seagrass out there that hasn’t been mapped yet, or areas that need more data. Through this partnership and working with water users, a comprehensive picture of sensitive seabeds will be built – a win-win for conservation, seagrass science and water users, who are all custodians of the Ocean.