Ten golden rules for restoration to secure resilient and just seagrass social‐ecological systems

• Published in: Plants, people, planet Vol. 7; no. 1; pp. 33 - 48
• Main Authors: Unsworth, Richard K. F., Jones, Benjamin L. H., Bertelli, Chiara M., Coals, Lucy, Cullen‐Unsworth, Leanne C., Mendzil, Anouska F., Rees, Samuel C., Taylor, Flo, Walter, Bettina, Evans, Ally J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lancaster John Wiley & Sons, Inc 01.01.2025; Wiley
• Subjects: Biodiversity; climate; community; Coral reefs; corals; cost effectiveness; ecological restoration; ecosystem services; Ecosystems; eelgrass; Emission standards; Emissions; Environmental restoration; Eutrophication; finance; habitat conservation; Marinas; marine; Marine conservation; Net losses; people; Reforestation; seagrasses; Seeds; submerged aquatic vegetation; Water quality; Chesapeake Bay
• DOI: 10.1002/ppp3.10560
• ISSN: 2572-2611

Societal Impact Statement Seagrass meadows are a globally important habitat subject to significant loss. As efforts to restore these sensitive habitats are hampered by their high cost and low levels of reliability, rigorous guidance is required to improve effectiveness and ensure they are cost‐effective. Here, we define 10 golden rules for how we can undertake seagrass restoration. We do this by considering that for seagrass restoration to be successful, it needs to take place with people and not against people. The framework we present aims to direct efforts for seagrass restoration that are holistic and achieve broad goals for people, biodiversity and the planet. Summary The world has lost a significant proportion of its seagrass, and although glimmers of hope for its recovery exist, losses and degradations continue. First and foremost, evidence highlights the need to put the world on a global pathway to seagrass net gain. Achieving this outcome requires that conservation of what remains is a priority, but reaching net gain requires seagrass coverage to increase at rates unlikely to be achieved naturally; large‐scale active restoration is required to fill this gap. Novel finance mechanisms aligned to the climate emergency and biodiversity crises are increasingly leading to larger scale restoration projects. However, no clear framework exists for developing or prioritising approaches. With seagrass restoration expensive and unreliable, rigorous guidance is required to improve effectiveness and ensure it is cost‐effective. Building on evidence from terrestrial and marine sources, here, we apply the ‘10 golden rules’ concept, first outlined for reforestation and later applied to coral reefs, to seagrass restoration. In doing so, we follow international standards for ecological restoration and view seagrass restoration in a broad context, whereby regeneration can be achieved either by planting or by enhancing and facilitating natural recovery. These rules somewhat differ from those on reforestation and coral reef restoration, principally due to the relative immaturity of seagrass restoration science. These 10 golden rules for seagrass restoration are placed within a coupled social‐ecological systems context, and we present a framework for conservation more broadly, to achieve multiple goals pertaining to people, biodiversity and the planet. Les herbiers marins sont un habitat d'importance mondiale sujet à d'importantes régressions. Les efforts pour la restauration de ces habitats sensibles étant freinés par des coûts élevés et un manque de fiabilité, des directives rigoureuses sont nécessaires pour les rendre plus efficaces et économiques. Nous définissons ici 10 règles d'or pour la mise en œuvre de la restauration des herbiers marins. Ces règles considèrent que, pour que la restauration des herbiers marins soit réussie, elle doit se faire avec les gens et non contre les gens. Le cadre que nous présentons ici vise à orienter les efforts pour une restauration des herbiers marins qui soit holistique et qui atteigne des objectifs globaux pour les populations, la biodiversité et la planète. Spanish translation of the societal statement: Las praderas marinas son un hábitat de importancia mundial que está sujeto a pérdidas significativas. Dado que los esfuerzos por restaurar estos hábitats tan sensibles se ven obstaculizados por el alto coste y la baja fiabilidad de dichas acciones, se requieren directrices rigurosas para mejorar la eficacia y garantizar que sean económicamente factibles. Aquí definimos 10 “reglas de oro” sobre cómo podemos llevar a cabo la restauración de las praderas marinas y lo hacemos teniendo en cuenta que, para que la restauración de praderas marinas tenga éxito, debe realizarse con las personas y no contra ellas. El marco que presentamos tiene como objetivo dirigir los esfuerzos de restauración de praderas marinas de manera holística para lograr objetivos amplios enfocados a las personas, la biodiversidad y el planeta. Seagrass meadows are a globally important habitat subject to significant loss. As efforts to restore these sensitive habitats are hampered by their high cost and low levels of reliability, rigorous guidance is required to improve effectiveness and ensure they are cost‐effective. Here, we define 10 golden rules for how we can undertake seagrass restoration. We do this by considering that for seagrass restoration to be successful, it needs to take place with people and not against people. The framework we present aims to direct efforts for seagrass restoration that are holistic and achieve broad goals for people, biodiversity and the planet.