World Seagrass Day

World Seagrass Day is held on 1 March. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed it in May 2022 through resolution A/RES/76/265, to raise awareness and encourage action to conserve seagrasses.

Seagrass meadows look modest, but they do a lot. The UN notes that they cover only 0.1 per cent of the ocean floor, yet store up to 18 per cent of the world's oceanic carbon. Meadows grow in 159 countries on six continents and cover more than 300,000 square kilometres.

They are also under pressure. About 7 per cent of this habitat is lost worldwide every year, and almost 30 per cent of global seagrass area has disappeared since the late nineteenth century. At least 22 of the world's 72 seagrass species are in decline.

Thailand has its own meadows to look after. Figures from the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources, reported in 2022, put Thai seagrass beds at 159,829 rai (rai is a Thai unit of land; 1 rai is 1,600 square metres), made up of 13 species.

To help, choose boat operators that keep their anchors off seagrass, avoid walking on meadows at low tide, and keep plastic and fishing line off the beach.

Seagrass shows how something easy to overlook can carry real weight. That is the thinking behind From Waste to Wonder at AVALON Artisan Gallery, where reclaimed green mussel shell becomes MyraShell and MyraGem. Thailand throws away more than 50,000 tonnes of these shells a year.