Recent trend reversal for declining European seagrass meadows

Carmen B. de los Santos (), Dorte Krause-Jensen, Teresa Alcoverro, Núria Marbà, Carlos M. Duarte, Marieke M. Katwijk, Marta Pérez, Javier Romero, José L. Sánchez-Lizaso, Guillem Roca, Emilia Jankowska, José Lucas Pérez-Lloréns, Jérôme Fournier, Monica Montefalcone, Gérard Pergent, Juan M. Ruiz, Susana Cabaço, Kevan Cook, Robert J. Wilkes, Frithjof E. Moy, Gregori Muñoz-Ramos Trayter, Xavier Seglar Arañó, Dick J. Jong, Yolanda Fernández-Torquemada, Isabelle Auby, Juan J. Vergara and Rui Santos
Additional contact information
Carmen B. de los Santos: University of Algarve
Dorte Krause-Jensen: Aarhus University
Teresa Alcoverro: Centre d’Estudis Avançats de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC)
Núria Marbà: Global Change Research Group, Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB)
Carlos M. Duarte: King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), Red Sea Researh Center (RSRC) and Computational Bioscience Research Center (CBRC)
Marieke M. Katwijk: Radboud University Nijmegen
Marta Pérez: University of Barcelona
Javier Romero: University of Barcelona
José L. Sánchez-Lizaso: University of Alicante
Guillem Roca: Global Change Research Group, Institut Mediterrani d’Estudis Avançats (IMEDEA, CSIC-UIB)
Emilia Jankowska: Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences
José Lucas Pérez-Lloréns: University of Cádiz
Jérôme Fournier: Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS UMR 7204 Centre d’Ecologie et des Sciences de la Conservation, Station de Biologie Marine
Monica Montefalcone: University of Genoa
Gérard Pergent: University of Corsica
Juan M. Ruiz: Spanish Institute of Oceanography
Susana Cabaço: University of Algarve
Kevan Cook: Natural England, Pydar House
Robert J. Wilkes: Environmental Protection Agency
Frithjof E. Moy: Institute of Marine Research
Gregori Muñoz-Ramos Trayter: Medi Ambient, Ajuntament de Badalona
Xavier Seglar Arañó: Medi Ambient, Ajuntament de Badalona
Dick J. Jong: Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, Rijkswaterstaat
Yolanda Fernández-Torquemada: University of Alicante
Isabelle Auby: Quai du commandant Silhouette
Juan J. Vergara: University of Cádiz
Rui Santos: University of Algarve

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Seagrass meadows, key ecosystems supporting fisheries, carbon sequestration and coastal protection, are globally threatened. In Europe, loss and recovery of seagrasses are reported, but the changes in extent and density at the continental scale remain unclear. Here we collate assessments of changes from 1869 to 2016 and show that 1/3 of European seagrass area was lost due to disease, deteriorated water quality, and coastal development, with losses peaking in the 1970s and 1980s. Since then, loss rates slowed down for most of the species and fast-growing species recovered in some locations, making the net rate of change in seagrass area experience a reversal in the 2000s, while density metrics improved or remained stable in most sites. Our results demonstrate that decline is not the generalised state among seagrasses nowadays in Europe, in contrast with global assessments, and that deceleration and reversal of declining trends is possible, expectingly bringing back the services they provide.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11340-4

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