Posidonia meadows provide critical habitats and nursery grounds for a variety of marine life and support rich biodiversity. They have the unique ability to produce oxygen and are highly efficient at capturing and storing carbon dioxide. They act as significant ‘carbon sinks’ whilst their dense root systems help stabilise the sea bed and also manage to filter pollutants and trap sediments leading to improved water quality.
Unfortunately, they are fragile and sensitive to threats such as pollution, coastal development, anchoring and climate change.
The recreational marine industry recognises the importance of conserving these seagrass meadows as they are crucial for several ecological, economic and climate-related reasons and all captains, yacht operators, and boat owners need to ensure Posidonia and other seagrass habitats are not negatively impacted in any way and the integrity of marine eco-tourism is maintained.
To read ICOMIA’s paper on Posidonia conservation please click here.
