The seeds collected are also used to help advance our understanding of seagrass restoration science.
It’s essential to investigate how we can improve seagrass restoration techniques, for example optimising the conditions to ensure that the highest number of seeds possible are germinating into seedlings and discovering the best growing conditions for these seedlings to producing resilient healthy adult plants.
Restoration experiments and large-scale trials are also critical to learn how to best scale-up seagrass restoration across the Great Barrier Reef.
Every flower picked by the team of volunteers makes a real difference to the Reef, helping protect habitats for turtles, dugongs and other marine species, while supporting the Reef’s ability to capture carbon and improve water quality.
The SeaGrow project is supported by funding from Coles. Thank you to CMERC and all the volunteers, including those from our partners Coles, Chubb and AECOM who rolled up their sleeves at Pelican Banks to help collect seagrass flowers that will power the next wave of restoration research, and to our supporting partners Lendlease and XXXX who are helping SeaGrow turn small seeds into a big future for the Reef.