World Seaweed Day 2023

World Seaweed Day 2023. Seaweed is very ancient. So much so that it is estimated that they could have predate the dinosaurs. These marine plants have many beneficial properties, but they also play an essential role in the balance of ecosystems, so their care and preservation is extremely important.

what are they?

We are talking about flat-leaved green plants, of which there are about 60 different species. They inhabit shallow coastal waters around the world. They can be found around oceanic islands, in inland seas, and along large coastlines (such as in Canada and/or the United States). Posidonias is the characteristic seaweed of the Mediterranean.

Seaweeds help retain excess agricultural nutrients that, from their inland origins, reach the open seas and oceans by runoff or river currents. In addition, they are great corrosion fighters. At the same time they provide stability to sediments, which is why they are essential for other ecosystems to survive as well. Without them, there would be no beaches, scrub forests, or swamps.

Very useful

Seaweeds bring many benefits to their environment. More importantly, it provides a protective habitat for vulnerable populations of marine organisms. For example, the short-snouted seahorse and the spiny seahorse are protected species in the British Isles that have a growing sanctuary thanks to a re-planting initiative that began in April 2021.

Seaweeds have a very heterogeneous biodiversity. According to expert research, more than 40 times more animals live among this grass than animals that live on bare sand. Anemones, jellyfish, crabs, shrimp, lobsters, a great variety of fish and hundreds of other species find refuge among the seaweed.

Many microorganisms burrow into the sand around their roots. So your neighbors could be worms, echinoderms, or amphibians, among many other species. When the tide goes out, seabirds feast on the blades of seaweed and the tasty “treasures” hidden there.

Also, kelp is a long-term storage place for carbon dioxide. Like mangroves, salt marshes, and other types of wetlands, seagrass meadows act as natural carbon sinks. In this way, they protect the atmosphere from excess carbon dioxide emissions.

Pollution, fishing nets, those placed on beaches to contain jellyfish, and other human activities threaten their survival. Also, when they die, they are a source of methane, which is a very potent greenhouse gas. Protecting them is a task that we must take very seriously. Especially today, on World Seaweed Day 2023.