Protect seagrass through payments for ecosystem services

Abstract

Seagrasses are flowering plants or angiosperms that grow in intertidal and shallow intertidal zones in tropical to temperate oceans globally. They form “grasslands” that vary in size and density depending on species and geographical location. Seagrasses provide important ecosystem services to those who depend on them for food and income, and to all people around the world. Healthy seagrass beds support fisheries by is a nursery and safe haven for juvenile fish and shellfish, and also provides a food source for this  group of organisms. By acting as a coastal buffer against waves, they protect shorelines from erosion and help maintain other coastal ecosystems such as mangroves. They also provide further benefits for climate regulation by sequestering large amounts of carbon in sediments, preventing its release into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide.