SEA GRASS
This project is to establish an accurate baseline of feeding areas for the species Dugong dugon. GreenLife staff had undergone training in Thailand with the international partner Seagrassnet. Under the careful supervision of Dr. Fred Short seagrass monitoring and identification training was given to GreenLife staff. The information gained led to areas being mapped in Andaman which were previously unknown and conservation strategies for seagrass protection to be enabled. The task to monitor seagrass is huge and slow as mobility is difficult and volunteers are scarce. This project will need extra volunteers to make the baseline study in the coming years.
Sea Grass
27.2.08
SEA GRASS FACTS:
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•Dugong's main food is seagrass (three species called Halophila ovalis, Halophila hemprichii and Halodule uninervis) but at times when there isn’t enough it might eat algae instead. Dugongs have a huge appetite and an adult can eat up to 30 kilograms a day.
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•Seagrass herbivory is a highly important link in the food chain, with hundreds of species feeding on seagrasses worldwide, including dugongs, manatees, fish, turtles, sea urchins and crabs.
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•Seagrasses are in global decline, with some 30,000 square kilometers lost during the last decades. The main reason for this decline is human disturbance, most notably eutrophication, mechanical destruction of habitat, and overfishing.
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