Benjamin Jones

Not surprising, but the sheer amount of protected sites with nutrient pollution (from the land) raises important questions around how far protection should go.

Also the sheer number of places with boating impacts.

Work with seagrass? 🌱

We're often asked by the public: “What can I do to reduce seagrass loss?”

We’re running a survey to identify the everyday actions people can take to support seagrass conservation and we’d love your insights!

🕒 Takes just 10–15 minutes
fiu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_...

YouTube video by World Seagrass Association Seagrass fisheries: How they evolved and why they endure, with Dr. Benjamin Jones

🌊🌱Missed the #SeagrassSeminar with @boardshortsben.bsky.social?

Catch up on how seagrass ecosystems play a key role in supporting fisheries and alleviating poverty.

The recording is now available: youtu.be/EUqIHBeCZ9A

New Global map reveals seagrass meadows under threat — even inside protected areas! 🌍

With help from over 1000 citizen scientists, we mapped human pressures to seagrass at more than 1200 sites in 86 countries.

iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Off topic, but always surprised where my seagrass pictures get used. Not really sure of the relevance of this choice as lead image 🤷🏼‍♂️

Human connections to seagrass meadows date back 180,000 years, study reveals The prevalence of seagrass throughout human civilisation has fostered spiritual and cultural relations with these underwater gardens.

The prevalence of seagrass throughout human civilisation has fostered spiritual and cultural relations with these underwater gardens.

Human connections to seagrass meadows date back 180,000 years, study reveals The prevalence of seagrass throughout human civilisation has fostered spiritual and cultural relations with these underwater gardens.

If we have depended on seagrass for 180,000 years – for food, homes, customs – investing in their conservation and restoration is not just ecological, it’s deeply human.

theconversation.com/human-connec...

Links don’t work

Want!

SeagrassSpotter data validates model for mapping seagrass in shallow coastal environments - Project Seagrass To protect and restore seagrass, we need reliable maps showing where seagrass is growing and how this is changing over time.  Global seagrass distribution and status is difficult to map and monitor, l...

We often get asked, “Where does SeagrassSpotter data go?”

This study is a perfect example of how your contributions to SeagrassSpotter help to drive real scientific progress.

Find out more: ow.ly/67uc50VpxFl

Societal value of seagrass from historical to contemporary perspectives - Ambio Seagrasses have been entwined with human culture for millennia, constituting a natural resource that has supported humanity throughout this history. Understanding the societal value of seagrass fosters appreciation of these ecosystems, encouraging conservation and restoration actions to counteract historic and predicted losses. This study overviews the plethora of seagrass use in human history, ranging from spiritual and ceremonial roles, direct and indirect food resources, medicines and raw materials, dating back more than 180 000 years. While many past uses have been abandoned in modern societies, others have persisted or are being rediscovered, and new applications are emerging. As these uses of seagrasses depend on harvesting, we also underscore the need for sustainable practices to (re)generate positive interactions between seagrasses and society. Our review contributes to revalue seagrass societal ecosystem services, highlighting ancient and more recent human and seagrass relationships to incentivize conservation and restoration actions.

Nearly 200,000 years!

That’s how long humanity and #seagrass meadows have been intertwined.

Excited to be part of this new paper documenting these links and led by @nicolerfoster.bsky.social.

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Seagrass loss leaves Thailand’s dugongs struggling to survive Meadows reduced to blackened stubs have pushed authorities and researchers into crisis mode

Seagrass loss leaves Thailand's dugongs struggling to survive: dialogue.earth/en/ocean/sea...

From Kenya to Madagascar, massive effort aims to put seagrasses on the map In 2019, scientists set out to map the extent of seagrass in Seychelles, an island nation off the eastern coast of Africa. There, they hit upon a startling number: More than 90% of the country’s “blue...

From Kenya to Madagascar, massive effort aims to put seagrasses on the map: news.mongabay.com/short-articl...

Conserving seagrass ecosystems to meet global biodiversity and climate goals - Nature Reviews Biodiversity Seagrass ecosystems are increasingly recognized for their importance to biodiversity and marine ecosystem function, but they face many threats. This Review summarizes the contributions of seagrass eco...

New Review: Conserving seagrass ecosystems to meet global biodiversity and climate goals 🌎🧪

From @carlosduartephd.bsky.social and colleagues.

Web: go.nature.com/4khmf1N PDF:
rdcu.be/ebI5F

‪A well-written piece by Jillian Ooi: SEAGRASS RESTORATION ON THE RISE – BUT ARE WE MISSING THE POINT?
www.bernama.com/en/thoughts/...

Couldn't agree more! #Conservation should come before #Restoration

Happy #WorldSeagrassDay

Went snorkelling on Wednesday in Miami to explore what Biscayne Bay had to offer. Not disappointed by green meadows with the metropolis backdrop!

🌊Happy #WorldSeagrassDay!

This year’s theme is Blue *Resilience: Invest in Seagrass*
How can WE #investinseagrass?

We'll share some examples—let's keep the conversation going!

Use the hashtags in the comments & tag us so we can repost!

Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to vital marine life Without appropriate management, seaweed farming programmes could be dangerous for marine biodiversity and the benefits that humans get from the ocean.

Without appropriate management, seaweed programmes could threaten marine biodiversity.

Read more in our article in @theconversation.com which responds to calls for seaweed cultivation programmes at scale and considers the risks this could present for marine life: ow.ly/fCFv50V3AxI

Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass | PNAS Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass

In our academic response, published in the journal @pnas.org, we outline the risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass: ow.ly/qnSe50V3AxJ

Continual migration of patches within a Massachusetts seagrass meadow limits carbon accretion and storage - Communications Earth & Environment The spatial variation in sediment organic carbon stocks in a patchy seagrass meadow is linked to the temporal stability of the patches, according to an analysis of sediment samples and historical aeri...

Seagrass meadows are often naturally patchy, changing shape and moving over time. A new study finds that a 50 year old meadow accumulated negligible carbon, likely due to the migration and movement of seagrass patches.

www.nature.com/articles/s43...

@lucycoals.bsky.social @lcullenunsworth.bsky.social @researchlina.bsky.social

Welcome! You are invited to join a meeting: SocSES Launch. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting. We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Social-Ecological Systems Society (SocSES) - a global community advancing research, practice, and collaboration for just and sustainable futures. Join us ...

After years of discussion a

Social-Ecological Systems Society (SocSES)
socses.org

is launching
March 27 2025, 2:30 - 4pm CET

you can register for the virtual launch event here

zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass | PNAS Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass

#Seaweed farming has many potential benefits, but scaling these farms cannot be at the expense of other habitats (e.g. #seagrass) that support people! In our short letter, me, @eklof.bsky.social, @zosterar.bsky.social & others discuss why caution is needed.

www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass | PNAS Risks of habitat loss from seaweed cultivation within seagrass

Seagrasses are really cool, they can reduce the abundance of bacterial pathogens from the water. This may be good for seaweed farming BUT can be quite harmful for the seagrass and the services they provide!

📣Newly published letter.

B. Jones, R. Unsworth, J. Eklöf, et al
doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to vital marine life Without appropriate management, seaweed farming programmes could be dangerous for marine biodiversity and the benefits that humans get from the ocean.

Expanding seaweed farms pose a risk to #seagrass

"Estimates from small diverse subsets of this size outperformed most estimates from homogenous groups; sufficiently diverse small crowds are just as effective as large crowds in estimating ecological state."

Writing about his first voyage, Columbus also mentioned sightings of manatees, but not in large numbers and doesn't mention much of seagrass

Reefs since Columbus - Coral Reefs History shows that Caribbean coastal ecosystems were severely degraded long before ecologists began to study them. Large vertebrates such as the green turtle, hawksbill turtle, manatee and extinct Car...

The classic Jackson 1997 paper “Reefs since Columbus” has some quotes about sea turtles: “in sight of two very small and low islands, full of tortoises, as was all the sea about, insomuch that they looked like rocks”

link.springer.com/article/10.1...

Frontiers | Ocean equity: from assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance

New paper on "OCEAN EQUITY: From assessment to action to improve social equity in ocean governance"

www.frontiersin.org/journals/mar...

I created this starter pack to find seagrass associated people

go.bsky.app/Jk81YjR