Seagrass Snorkel Trails

I want to invite people to discover the secret underwater gardens that seagrass meadows represent. Seagrasses, marine flowering plants, are ecosystem engineers and form underwater meadows of high ecological and economical value. But climate change and human pressure put them under threat. Each hour we loose an area of seagrass meadows equal to two football fields worldwide.During the fieldwork for my PhD I have learned that many people do not know about seagrasses and their unique ecosystem services. By setting up snorkel trails in seagrass meadows in the German Baltic Sea I want to raise awareness for these valuable but vulnerable coastal ecosystems. Like nature trails in terrestrial areas they guide interested people through marine areas and teach them about the habitat they are in. One only needs goggles or a diving mask to follow the trail marked by little buoys. At the bottom of each buoy the snorkeller will find a panel with some information on seagrasses, the animals that rely on it and the services it provides for us. Seagrass meadows are hotspots of biodiversity and are a home to invertebrates and fishes that patient snorkellers can spot. They provide coastal protection and help us fight climate change by taking up carbon dioxide.By giving people the chance to experience seagrass meadows themselves I hope to earn their support for the protection of these unique ecosystems.