World Seagrass Day is an annual event that is celebrated on March 01, to raise awareness about seagrass and its important functions in the marine ecosystem. The United Nations General Assembly officially declared this day on May 22, 2022, following a resolution passed by Sri Lanka to emphasize the conservation of seagrass in marine environment.

            This year marks the 2nd celebration of World Seagrass Day with the theme “Conservation and protection of blue carbon ecosystems towards improved local economies.” The said theme is aligned with the United Nations Ocean Decade Target 4: Develop a sustainable and equitable ocean economy.

            Seagrasses have a very high primary productivity that helps support and provides nutrients and physical habitat to a variety of organisms and plays a significant global role in various ways such as:

  • Food Security: They provide food, shelter, spawning and nursery activities to thousands of species of fish, seahorses, turtles, sea cows and other species.;
  • Climate Change Mitigation: Seagrass meadows act as highly efficient carbon sinks, storing up to 35 times faster than rainforest;
  • Biodiversity Enrichment: These underwater meadows create complex, biologically rich habitats;
  • Water Purification: Seagrasses filter, cycle, and store nutrients and pollutants, improving water quality;
  • Coastal Protection: They reduce wave energy, acting as the first line of defense against floods and storms;
  • Sediment Stabilization: Act as a buffer for reducing wave and tidal energy, trapping and stabilizing sediment with their roots and rhizomes that form dense “mats” that contributes to coastal protection preventing coastal erosion; and
  • Oxygen pumps: 1 meter sq. of seagrass can produce up to 10 liters of Oxygen per day

            The Blue carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. Coastal ecosystems such as mangroves, tidal marshes and seagrass meadows sequester and store more carbon per unit area than terrestrial forests and are now being recognized for their role in mitigating climate change. In lieu with the said theme, the concept provides a more holistic vision that embraces economic growth when it is sustainable and does not harm other sectors that brings human well-being, social equity and environmental sustainability into harmony.

            Mga ka Lusay, let us all conserve the “lungs of the sea” Happy World Seagrass Day!

Sources: World Seagrass Day | United Nations, Seagrasses: the Philippine’s forgotten resource – CCEF (coast.ph), Why is seagrass important | Seagrass-Watch (seagrasswatch.org), WORLD SEAGRASS DAY – March 1, 2024 – National Today