Mediterranean seagrass rehabilitation project shows high success rates

Assistant Professor Burak Ali Çiçek of Eastern Mediterranean University has reported successful results in a scientific project aimed at the rehabilitation of seagrasses in the Mediterranean Sea. The study utilized various transplantation and implantation methods at different depths to restore marine ecosystems.

Monitoring results over approximately three years indicate high success rates: about 90 percent of the more than 200 seagrass clumps moved during the project have continued to develop healthily, and approximately 70 percent of the 1,300 seedlings planted have survived.

These Posidonia oceanica ecosystems are identified as critical blue carbon areas. Beyond supporting marine biodiversity, the seagrasses play a vital role in combating climate change through carbon storage and oxygen production, while also protecting coasts from erosion and improving water quality.