Underwater meadows of eelgrass and other sea grasses play a critical role in global ocean and climate cycles. Recent reports by the United Nations Environmental Protection Department show that seagrass beds have tremendous potential to moderate global warming. Like forests, they store immense amounts of carbon but much more efficiently - up to ninety times the rate of uptake provided by the equivalent area of forest.

Consider this: a mere 0.5% by area of the global seabed hosts plant communities which annually fix 55% of all biological carbon and store it in sediments where it is stable for thousands of years. Amazingly, the biomass of these marine plants totals only one two thousandth (0.05%) that of terrestrial vegetation.

Find more eelgrass math here.

These astonishing facts and figures have recently achieved the exposure they deserve in two important reviews from the United Nations Environment Programme and the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Read our eelgrass blog.

These ecosystems are the functional equivalent of terrestrial forests in terms of carbon sequestration, but have so far largely been ignored in most accounts of the global carbon cycle, and unlike forest carbon, have not been accounted for in any national greenhouse gas inventories.  They are also the most rapidly disappearing ecosystems on earth, having lost at least 30% of their area since 1940 and under increasing threat today.

Seagrass meadows, like this one in Boundary Bay near Vancouver, are exceptional nurseries for wildlife as well as carbon banks.

In BC we have approximately 750 km2 of salt marsh and 335 km2 of eel grass beds.  These areas take up as much carbon as the entire boreal forest - which covers an area 90 times larger.

BC is blessed with rich carbon-soaking vegetation on land as well as under water. The most effective of these options are our salt marshes and eel grass beds.  It could be argued, that in view of their manifold benefits, they occupy the highest possible priority for conservation, management and restoration. In the words of the IUCN Report “moving forward with effective Marine Protected Areas, Marine Spatial Planning and area-based fisheries management techniques is not only a political imperative for biodiversity conservation, food security, and shoreline protection, but now also for helping (to) mitigate climate change.” 

What You Can Do

Boost your Gumboot Power: volunteer with a seagrass conservation organisation in your area to help restore seagrass beds. Get inspired by community efforts to preserve and restore seagrass.

Deploy your Civic Muscle: Let the BC government know you care about the integrity of our coasts and estuaries, which is intimately linked to big-picture issues like climate change and loss of marine life. Ask the Premier to implement proactive climate policies, including conservation of carbon-storing seagrass beds and salt marshes.