Blue Forest
An international project for the protection of marine forests
Within the global framework of the UN's 30x30 Agenda and the growing emphasis on protecting blue carbon ecosystems, One Ocean Foundation is committed to its mission of ocean preservation. As part of this dedication, the Foundation has chosen to invest in a project focused on the conservation and restoration of marine forests, crucial components of our blue natural capital.
One Ocean Foundation's commitment to the protection of marine forests is supported by an international Ocean Foresting campaign. The objective is to promote the activation of multiple reforestation projects worldwide, alongside research and educational activities to raise awareness on the importance of these ecosystems, through an international network of high-level collaborations with universities, NGOs, institutions and authorities committed to the protection of marine forests.
Promoting the restoration of biodiversity and blue natural capital in line with the UN 30x30 target
Supporting Ocean Literacy and scientific research funding PhD scholarships
Identifying and promoting a common methodology for the evaluation and valorisation of blue natural capital
Raising awareness about the importance of marine forests
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m² of marine forest restored
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cuttings transplanted
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PhD activated
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partners engaged
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scientific papers
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+ people involved
Seagrass grow along coastlines worldwide. They are plants that have evolved adaptations to the aquatic environment, forming vast marine forests known as seagrass beds. These ecosystems, crucial for biodiversity, offer numerous benefits to coastal communities. Considered to be among the most productive ecosystems in the world, they are classified internationally as "blue carbon ecosystems," adept at sequestering organic carbon from the atmosphere, aiding in the fight against climate change.
Carbon captured from the ocean and stored in marine ecosystems, including seagrass forests, is called blue carbon.
Posidonia oceanica is an endemic marine plant found exclusively in the Mediterranean Sea with an extraordinary environmental value. It forms extensive underwater meadows of great ecological importance: they protect the coast from erosion, stabilise the seabed, create a biodiversity hotspot, provide shelter and food for many marine species, capture carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis.
About 80% of coastal oxygen production comes from this plant, which is why it is also called the "lung of the Mediterranean Sea".
Posidonia oceanica meadows are part of the so-called blue carbon ecosystems and play an important role as a natural carbon sink, capturing and storing large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere within the matte – rhizomes and roots of old plants trapped in the sediments.
It is estimated that 1 square meter of Posidonia oceanica can absorb about 130kg of CO2 per year.
Italy hosts a large area of Posidonia oceanica meadows along its coasts. However, these ecosystems are heavily impacted by coastal anthropogenic activities such as fish trawling and anchoring, which, combined with the slow growth rate of the plant (1-2 cm/year), cause extensive damage not only to the meadow itself but to the entire marine ecosystem and the associated biodiversity.
Indeed, Posidonia oceanica meadows constitute a priority habitat that hosts many marine organisms, providing them with shelter, food, and an area to reproduce and grow.
Over 350 different species are found within the meadows: marine invertebrates, juveniles of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and small symbiont organisms.
Discover more by watching our videos
Related to Posidonia oceanica, Zostera marina is a marine plant better known as eelgrass. It emerges as the most globally distributed seagrass species, extending across the northern coastlines of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans, reaching as far as the Arctic. Its presence in the Mediterranean Sea is diminished, with a significantly reduced habitat range and undergoing marked decline.
Eelgrass form expansive underwater forests along bays, estuaries and lagoons on purely muddy bottoms and at shallower depths. Eelgrass beds play a vital role in coastal ecology by fostering marine biodiversity conservation, supporting economically valuable species, and acting as natural barriers against coastal erosion.
Like Posidonia oceanica, it is known for accumulations of leaves along beaches that become valuable sources of biomass and biomaterials to produce clean energy.
Zostera marina forests are biodiversity hotspots, and, among the leaves, a large number of species find refuge and habitat to live in; these include invertebrates, fish, crustaceans, mollusks, larval and juvenile stages of a great many organisms.
Unfortunately, they suffer the impact and consequences of pollution, reduced water quality, increased turbidity, and eutrophication, but also physical damage caused by anthropogenic activities such as mooring, anchoring and fishing activities.
The documentary "Posidonia oceanica – Restoring Mediterranean Seagrass" provides a comprehensive exploration of the entire restoration process and highlights the significance of this species, investigating the ecological aspects, examining the impacts this plant faces, and offering potential solutions for its preservation and protection.
A dive with researchers and scuba operators through the reforestation process to discover what it really means to restore a marine habitat.
Produced by One Ocean Foundation and directed by Fabio Benelli, marine biologist and underwater filmmaker, the documentary will be available in 2024.
Watch the trailer
