Celebration of World Seagrass Day
Healthy seagrass, healthy planet
In May 2022, the based on a proposal by Sri Lanka which was supported by 24 other countries, the UN General Assembly adopted A/RES/76/265 proclaiming 1 March as World Seagrass Day. The UN speaks of Healthy seagrass leading to a healthy planet, and as per UN, the resolution highlights the urgent need to raise awareness at all levels and to promote and facilitate actions for the conservation of seagrasses in order to contribute to their health and development, bearing in mind that enhancing ecosystem services and functions is important for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This year was the inaugral World Seagrass day and the WNPS too joined the world in moving this agenda forward.
Seagrasses are flowering plants that grow in shallow marine waters and are an essential part of many coastal ecosystems. They provide habitat and food for a wide variety of marine life, including fish, crabs, and turtles. Seagrass also helps to stabilize sediments and prevent erosion and plays a critical role in mitigating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Coastal belts off Sri Lanka have several locations which are great examples of this.
Unfortunately, seagrass ecosystems are under threat from a variety of human activities, including pollution, coastal development, and overfishing. As a result, many seagrass ecosystems are in decline, putting the health of coastal communities and marine biodiversity at risk.
World Seagrass Day is an opportunity to highlight the importance of seagrass ecosystems and to promote efforts to protect and restore them. It is a day to celebrate the beauty and diversity of these unique habitats and to raise awareness about the urgent need to take action to ensure their survival.
In the links below, Susantha Udagedara, a Seagrass expert, shares his wealth of knowledge on Seagrass through the WNPS series to mark the International Seagrass Day
Video 1: What is Seagrass link here - https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/1327432098040091
Video 2 : Importance of Seagrass
https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/882229689530528
Video 3: Threats to Seagrass
https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/121783534024740
Video 4: Solutions to Protect Seagrass
https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/115192114843143
Healthy seagrass, healthy planet
In May 2022, the based on a proposal by Sri Lanka which was supported by 24 other countries, the UN General Assembly adopted A/RES/76/265 proclaiming 1 March as World Seagrass Day. The UN speaks of Healthy seagrass leading to a healthy planet, and as per UN, the resolution highlights the urgent need to raise awareness at all levels and to promote and facilitate actions for the conservation of seagrasses in order to contribute to their health and development, bearing in mind that enhancing ecosystem services and functions is important for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. This year was the inaugral World Seagrass day and the WNPS too joined the world in moving this agenda forward.
Seagrasses are flowering plants that grow in shallow marine waters and are an essential part of many coastal ecosystems. They provide habitat and food for a wide variety of marine life, including fish, crabs, and turtles. Seagrass also helps to stabilize sediments and prevent erosion and plays a critical role in mitigating climate change by absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. The Coastal belts off Sri Lanka have several locations which are great examples of this.
Unfortunately, seagrass ecosystems are under threat from a variety of human activities, including pollution, coastal development, and overfishing. As a result, many seagrass ecosystems are in decline, putting the health of coastal communities and marine biodiversity at risk.
World Seagrass Day is an opportunity to highlight the importance of seagrass ecosystems and to promote efforts to protect and restore them. It is a day to celebrate the beauty and diversity of these unique habitats and to raise awareness about the urgent need to take action to ensure their survival.
In the links below, Susantha Udagedara, a Seagrass expert, shares his wealth of knowledge on Seagrass through the WNPS series to mark the International Seagrass Day
Video 1: What is Seagrass link here - https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/1327432098040091
Video 2 : Importance of Seagrass
https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/882229689530528
Video 3: Threats to Seagrass
https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/121783534024740
Video 4: Solutions to Protect Seagrass
https://www.facebook.com/wnpssl/videos/115192114843143