This March 1st marks Seagrass Day, important coastal ecosystems for aquatic life and humans; Therefore, there is a need to raise awareness of their relevance as they contribute to food security related to fisheries production, improving the quality of water filtered by grasslands, protecting coastlines from erosion, storms and floods, or carbon capture and storage .
In Santiago de Cuba, the Eastern Center for Ecosystems and Biodiversity (Bioeco) studies this plant formation, which can be found on all the beaches of the province. “With the exception of the poles, there are around 70 different species of seagrass worldwide. In Cuba there are six species, of which Thalassia testudinum (or turtle grass, its common name) is the best known and occurs at shallow depths.
“The species Thalassia testudinum is the most common in our area. The densest, most extensive grasslands with large plants and near the coast are found on the coast of the municipality of Guamá, in places with little human activity. When meteorological phenomena occur, we can find a large concentration of Thalassias on the shores of the beaches,” explains Anakarla Mora, specialist in the Plant Biology Department at Bioeco.
“From our center, we develop projects and action plans that contribute to the conservation, better management and restoration of these coastal ecosystems that we cannot protect alone, as they are interconnected with others that also need to remain healthy, such as mangroves and coral reefs. “Corals,” he emphasized.
“An example of this was the research of Josefina Blanco Ojedas, in which an integrated management program was developed for the seagrasses of the Aserradero-Chivirico coastal sector in the municipality of Guamá. The results highlighted seven environmental issues that directly impact them. Program management included “Six actions that respond to the identified strategic objectives and key themes. It is concluded that the implementation of this program could provide an alternative for seagrass conservation,” he explained.
In Cuba and around the world, seagrasses are known as ceibadales, sebadal, or seagrasses due to the dense underwater meadows they form in coastal areas. Because they are flowering plants that require sunlight for photosynthesis, the depths at which they occur in the ocean are limited by the availability of light.
Like land plants, they grow, flower, pollinate and spread their seeds, but they do so entirely underwater.
These ecosystems are also under threat and it is estimated that 7% of them are lost worldwide each year. Dredging, trawling and high levels of pollution are becoming the main threats, destroying large areas.
Likewise, tourism poses another threat, particularly so-called beach cleaning, which involves removing seaweed to create bathing areas.
However, the literature states that seagrasses provide coastal protection, preventing erosion and protecting these areas from meteorological phenomena by cushioning the effects of waves. In addition, they promote the deposition of sediments, which prevents the water from becoming cloudy, filters contaminating particles and enriches the water with oxygen, giving us transparent water.