Latest edition of Seagrass Watch

The latest issue (issue 38) of Seagrass-Watch news (the official magazine of the global seagrass and assessment program) is now available online at http://www.seagrasswatch.org/magazine.html

August 2009 marked a decade of Seagrass-Watch monitoring. This makes Seagrass-Watch one of the most comprehensive seagrass monitoring programs globally.

In July this year, a significant article by Waycott et al. was published in PNAS titled "Accelerating loss of seagrass across the globe threatens coastal ecosystems". They concluded that not only were seagrass meadows among the most threatened ecosystems on earth, but that the largest data gap in seagrass status exists in the tropical Indo-Pacific region (from East Africa to Hawaii), where seagrasses are widespread and abundant. Filling this gap is an important role Seagrass-Watch monitoring efforts can play.

Also, with over ten years of monitoring data now available from some locations, there is now a better understanding of not only how seagrass meadows change within and between years, but also between habitats and regions.. Unfortunately, some regions are less well monitored than others and this is a future challenge which needs to be addressed.

Rising to this challenge is the increase of participants across the Indo-Pacific, including Thailand, Indonesia, Fiji and Western Australia. You can read about their efforts in this issue. Also included is an article on the champion efforts of TeamSingapore to raise public consciousness about the importance of our beloved marine flora.

In this issue you can also read about the importance of connectivity between marine habitats (seagrass, mangroves and coral reefs) and why marine managers should take a more holistic approach to Marine Protected Areas.

Read how the seasonal monsoon is a major driver of seagrass abundance and productivity in Palk Bay (India) and how seagrass are a significant component of the Seribu Islands marine ecosystem in Indonesia.

In this issue you'll also find articles on monitoring efforts by the University of the South Pacific in Fiji and the University of the Third Age (U3A) in Townsville (Australia). Included are also reports on the program's educational efforts with Tagai College in Torres Strait and the International School in Suva. You can even learn about jellyfish.

Happy Reading

Dr Richard Unsworth
PhD M.Sc B.Sc CMarSci
4/57 Sims Esplanade
Yorkeys Knob, 4878
Queensland
Australia

Mob: +61 (0) 437681169
Skype: richard.unsworth
personal e-mail: richardunsworth@hotmail.com
work e-mail: richard.unsworth@dpi.qld.gov.au
my website: http://www.richardunsworth.co.uk