A changing climate for seagrass conservation?

Abstract

Tropical coral reefs are threatened and in decline, and their future is highly uncertain. With increasing rates of climate change and rising global temperatures, people looking to coral reefs for food and income may increasingly have to rely on resources from other habitats. Efforts to protect and conserve the coral reefs we have left are critical for a suite of economic, ecological, cultural and intrinsic reasons, but there is also an urgent need to take heed of the future scenarios from coral reefs and broaden the focus of tropical marine conservation. Seagrass meadows in particular are becoming ever more important for people and planet as coral reef health declines, but these systems are also globally under stronger anthropogenic threat. We need to increase and reprioritize our conservation efforts and use our limited conservation resources in a more targeted manner in order to attain sustainable systems. For seagrass, there are practicable conservation opportunities to develop sustainable ways to respond to increased resource use. Targeted action now could restore and protect seagrass meadows to maintain the many ecosystem services they provide.