Trust Magazine
Seagrasses are Vital to Ocean Health
The big picture
A seagrass meadow surrounds a tropical island along the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef off the coast of Belize in the Caribbean Sea. Seagrasses in these shallow coastal waters are vital habitats for marine life and are critical to the health of the ocean. One-fifth of the world’s largest fisheries use seagrass for nurseries. Humans, too, rely on these ecosystems for their livelihoods. Seagrasses also help communities adapt to and mitigate climate change by storing Earth-warming carbon in their soils and serving as a buffer against waves and storms. Pew is partnering with several nations to integrate coastal wetlands and coral reefs into their plans to build resilience to climate change.
