14/11/2024
SEAGRASS
Are you one of those annoyed whenever you encounter those seagrasses while snorkeling or beach walking? These sea plants may feel weird and icky but here are 4 reasons to love seagrasses.
1. They are “ecosystem engineers” literally creating the foundations of life beneath the ocean. They build a sea housing community to a wide variety of fish and sea creatures. Seagrass meadows are often referred to as nursery habitats, as their dense gardens trap and slow the flow of seawater, creating shelter for juvenile fish.
2. Ocean Oxygen tank - 1 hectare of seagrass bed could produce 100,000 liters of oxygen. That’s more oxygen compared to the amount of oxygen 1 hectare of timberland can produce.
3. Seagrass beds are the farm, kitchen and food supply of many life fish, turtles, manta rays and other sea creatures. An ocean without seagrass will starve life underwater.
4. They are natural disaster defenders, just like mangroves. The stabilizing effect of seagrass actually reduces flooding from storm surges and hurricanes by dissipating wave energy.
But they are under serious threat – disappearing at a rate of 4 basketball courts per hour. Seagrasses are neglected; they are now fast disappearing from this part of the world.
It is time to value seagrasses the way we appreciate green meadows. Let us try our best to keep off the seagrass. Love these sea plants for they make us breath cleaner air, feed the marine life community and makes the seas bluer.
by : VFD