Burgess Conservation
saving seagrass
Burgess x Blue Marine
In 2024 Burgess is working in partnership with Blue Marine Foundation to map, protect and save Mediterranean seagrass
Seagrass is an unsung hero in nurturing marine life and fish stocks, absorbing carbon, balancing ocean health, and fighting global climate change. The latest science tells us that seagrass is a key weapon in the race to save our oceans.
In the Mediterranean basin seagrass has decreased 34 percent in the last 50 years. We are collaborating with Blue Marine to fund the works to save Mediterranean seagrass (Posidonia Oceanica).
We are following the science and working to save this key habitat in the Greek Islands. In doing so we hope to create a model of marine conservation for other Mediterranean sites.
Seagrass only grows 1-6cm (0.2-2.4in) per year, and it is losing ground at a rate of two football pitches an hour worldwide. If we act now, we can make a difference.
In our vital race to save our oceans, we need clean seas, more sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, and better protection for our marine environments.
saving seagrass
Why?
Seagrass absorbs carbon 35 times faster than rainforest. In the race against climate change, seagrass is vitally important.
Seagrass is essential to ocean health. It provides a safe breeding ground for 400 plant species and 1,000 types of marine animal.
Seagrass is the keystone that provides the base for an entire ecosystem, a vital habitat for fish stocks that are in rapid decline.
Seagrass meadows also protect the islands' beaches by reducing the impact of waves that cause coastal erosion.
SAVING SEAGRASS
Map - Protect - Save
To save seagrass, the first step is to map the seagrass meadows that need protecting. Then Blue Marine can work to protect these areas, which will allow the seagrass to recover, expand and increase its capacity to shelter marine life and sequester carbon.
Map
By mapping the meadows, we define the areas that need to be saved so that Blue Marine can work to safeguard them. Blue Marine partner with
PlanBlue to use underwater hyperspectral imaging drones and AI to map the seafloor, and then divers go in to 'ground-truth' the data.
Protect
With the maps' scientific data, Blue Marine can assess the *Blue Carbon potential and conservation status of the site. We are aiming to map and protect 17sqkm (6.6sqmi) of seagrass meadows in the Greek Islands.
*Blue Carbon is any carbon stored by the sea.
Save
Seagrass absorbs 10% of the ocean's Blue Carbon, but only covers 0.2% of the ocean floor. The more we can save, the more carbon we remove from the atmosphere. We are also saving marine life and protecting the fish stocks which are essential to the local fishers livelihoods.
saving seagrass
The big picture
The Saving Seagrass project will run up to 2030, contributing to the UN and wider conservation community’s mission of achieving 30 by 30 (the commitment to protect at least 30 percent of land and sea by 2030). Our Saving Seagrass project is part of this worldwide effort to positively impact climate change.
saving seagrass
Where?
The work will be going on around the Cycladic island of Amorgos and the Erimitis Peninsula in Corfu. The Greek Islands are cruising grounds that we love and value, which is why this project is so close to our hearts.
These are areas of unique beauty, and below the surface seagrass meadows fringe the shore.
At Burgess we are using our business for good and to have a genuine impact. Since 2021, we and our clients have raised over GBP 130,000 for ocean conservation projects in yachting locations in the Mediterranean, Caribbean, and Maldives.
We donate to marine conservation through every bit of business we do, and now all funds raised will go into the Saving Seagrass project.
Dive into conservation
As well as fundraising we will use the Burgess business platform to support this project in every way we can. We would love you to join us.
Get in touch
To talk to us about Saving Seagrass and Burgess' marine conservation work, please drop us a line.
Photography: Blue Marine Foundation, Dimitris Poursanidis
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