First sea grass project in Germany: Environmentalists celebrate great success!

First sea grass project in Germany: Environmentalists celebrate great success!

The first project for seaweed resettlement in Germany, known as Seastore, was recently awarded by the Federal Environment Ministry and the Federal Office for Nature Conservation (BFN). The Leibniz University of Hanover (LUH) coordinates this pioneering project, which aims to resettle seagrass meadows in the German Baltic Sea. Seegraswiesen play a crucial role in climate and coastal protection because they store CO2, stabilize coasts before erosion and offer a variety of habitats. Dr. Maike Paul from the Ludwig-Franzius Institute accepted the award in Hamburg in May and underlined the importance of the project for the protection of marine ecosystems.

Seastore is one of three excellent projects in the UN decade competition that focuses on protection and restoration of endangered ecosystems. For the project, the development and testing of methods for the large -scale resettlement of Seegras is planned. One main goal is to create a comprehensive guideline that is intended to support the authorities and local actors in the implementation of resettlement measures, as reported.

research and methodology

The Seastore project focuses on the subdidal sea grass (Zostera Marina) in southern Baltic waters. Scientific foundations are researched to ensure robust resettlement. This includes the evaluation of the effects of seaweed meadows on sediment stabilization, carbon storage and biological diversity. Findings are provided by a digital decision -making aid tool (DST), which includes central elements such as selection of space, methodological implementation and long -term monitoring of the areas.

Simulation models support the location determination and the technical measures for resettlement. Furthermore, the role of the floor and seagrass microbioma is examined with regard to the success of the resettlement. An innovative aspect of the project is the development of citizen participation options, which are called Citizen Science concepts. These should promote acceptance and understanding of the planned measures in public.

Guidelines and future prospects

A central goal of the Seastore network consists in the development of a science-based renaturation concept for the Seegraswiesen in the Baltic Sea, as Seegraswiesen.de . The guideline will support authorities and interest groups in selecting the right locations, determining suitable seeds or offspring and formulating specific requirements for planting. The success of the resettlement measures is also checked.

An important aspect of the project is the integration of the coastal population as well as tourists and other interest groups. This commitment is intended to increase the chances of success of the resettlement and strengthen public acceptance. In addition to the extensive research and testing of the restorative measures, the variety of microorganisms on sea grasses and in the sea floor are sufficiently examined in order to take into account all relevant influencing factors.

Overall, the Seastore project marks a significant step towards maintaining and restoring Mariner habitats and sets new standards in sub-water protection. The approach is not only shaped by scientific knowledge, but also by the active participation of the community, which significantly increases the chances of success of resettlement.