Restoring seagrass meadows (Zostera marina) that have been lost to coastal infrastructure development, logging, and pollution is a pillar of the Canadian strategy for greenhouse gas reduction and protecting biodiversity. While seagrass restoration through transplantation has long been practiced, lack of inclusion of sediments and microbiota often results in failure. Together with local partners (BC Parks, Tla’amin and Huu-ay-aht Nations, restoration practitioners, and others), this project team will test the role of microbes and microbial processes in seagrass restoration success and develop a database of restoration projects. The goal of the “Testing the influence of microbes and sediment chemistry on seagrass restoration” project is to increase the success rates of seagrass restoration throughout BC and the northern hemisphere by revising practices to incorporate microbial processes.
Research Team
Partners
Funding Partners: Peter Wall Legacy Awards