A young researcher stands knee-deep in the calm waters of the Ria Formosa. She looks down, her eyes tracing the soft movements beneath the surface. There, delicate, freshly planted green shoots sway gently with the incoming tide, rooted in the silty floor.
A relieved smile forms on her face. This winter brought one of the strongest winds and rain in years. Not many, but some of the young plants survived last week’s storm. For a moment, she had feared that all the careful work of the past weeks had been lost.
“I felt like I was needed.”
Sari Ponnet is a doctoral fellow working as part of the RESTORESEAGRASS project at CCMAR Algarve. Her research is dedicated to the monitoring and restoration of priority seagrass habitats, including the development of science-based solutions to support their resilience and long-term protection. Restoring seagrass requires patience, precision, and persistence, but with every dataset collected and every patch monitored, Sari and her team are helping to secure the future of these essential ecosystems.
The Ria Formosa is a shallow coastal lagoon in the south of Portugal, protected from the direct force of ocean waves by a chain of barrier islands. This natural shelter creates a highly productive and dynamic ecosystem, where tidal exchange continuously shapes habitats and supports rich biodiversity, including extensive seagrass meadows. For Sari, the Ria Formosa functions as a natural laboratory where seagrasses can be studied, monitored, and restored. Today, she is taking us with her, to speak about the quiet foundation of coastal life and the fragile beauty it sustains.
“Seagrasses, our quiet supporters…”
Here in the “Ria“, seagrass is productivity, protection, and survival, woven into the rhythm of tides and human life alike. Beneath the surface, quietly and almost out of sight, these marine plants protect everything around them.
They release oxygen into the water, trap suspended particles, and filter harmful coastal runoff and pollution, thereby improving water quality. They store vast amounts of carbon, a function that depends on the meadows remaining intact. And with its roots anchoring the seabed, it holds the coastline together, reducing erosion in a system increasingly exposed to storms. And within the swaying underwater fields, juvenile fish find food and shelter, and entire life cycles begin. Many of these are commercially important species, forming the foundation of fisheries and coastal livelihoods.
“The more fragmented this system becomes, the less it can withstand disturbances.”
In Faro, the capital of the Algarve, seahorse imagery can be found all throughout the city in drawings and public art. This is no coincidence. The Ria Formosa was once home to one of the world’s largest seahorse populations, with seagrass meadows providing camouflage, prey, and breeding grounds.
In general, Portugal has a strong cultural and economic connection to the sea. Its traditional cuisine and many local livelihoods depend on a healthy and functioning productive coastal ecosystem. For instance, the shellfish and clam harvesting in the Ria Formosa accounts for 90% of Portugal’s national bivalve production.
But seagrass habitats are facing a growing number of threats, putting the species that depend on them at risk – one of the reasons Sari chose to dedicate her work to its protection. Heavy storms are becoming more frequent, making it harder for the system to recover. Pollution from land-based sources, such as agricultural runoff and urban wastewater, further stresses the ecosystem. Careless mooring or anchoring by boats can damage fragile seagrass meadows. Clam harvesting, when not carefully managed, involves cutting directly through seagrass rhizomes in the search for buried clams.
“We need people to care!”
With so many interests intertwined in a fragile and often competing combination, RESTORESEAGRASS research team places special importance on engaging with local communities, policymakers and stakeholders. Clear communication and collaboration are essential to ensure a sustainable future for both people and nature.
At the end of our interview, Sari also emphasizes that anyone can play a role in the protection of essential seagrass habitats. Even far from the shoreline, this begins with everyday choices: reducing pollution, managing waste responsibly, making more mindful seafood choices, and lowering our overall carbon footprint
“Because every person whose interest in seagrass and its protection we can spark, matters!”
An article by Cornelia P. Erk
Our interview partner, Sari Ponnet, is a doctoral fellow supported by the “la Caixa” Foundation. She conducts her research as part of the RESTORESEAGRASS project at the Centre of Marine Sciences (CCMAR) Algarve, co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme (Project No. 101148241).
Title Picture by João Pontes