World Atlas of Seagrasses

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World Atlas of Seagrasses Edmund

P.

Green and Frederick

T.

Short

3 qR^ Seagrasses

a

group of about sixty

species of underwater marine flowering plants, grow in

the shallow marine and estuary environments of

all

the

world's continents except Antarctica. The primary food

of animals such as manatees, dugongs, and green sea

turtles,

and

critical habitat for

thousands of other ani-

mal and plant species, seagrasses are also considered

one of the most important shallow-marine ecosystems

for

humans, since they play an important

role in fishery

production. Though they are highly valuable ecologically

and economically, many seagrass habitats around the

world have been completely destroyed or are now in

rapid decline. The World Atlas of Seagrasses is the first

authoritative and comprehensive global synthesis of the

distribution and status of this critical marine habitat.

Illustrated throughout with color

tables,

maps, photographs.

and more, and written by an international team

of collaborators, this unique volume covers seagrass

ecology, scientific studies to date, current status.

changing distributions, threatened areas, and conserva-

tion and

management

the world. As

efforts for twenty-four regions of

human populations expand and continue

to live disproportionately in coastal areas, bringing

new

threats to seagrass habitat, a comprehensive overview

Digitized by tine Internet Arciiive in

2010 with funding from

UNEP-WCIVIC, Cambridge

http://www.arcliive.org/details/worldatlasofseag03gree

World Atlas

of

Seagrasses

Published

in

association with

UNEP-WCMC

by the University of

California Press University of California Press

Berkeley and Los Angeles, California University of California Press. Ltd.

London, England

®

2003 UNEP World UNEP-WCMC

Conservation Monitoring Centre

219 Huntingdon Road

Cambridge CBS DDL, UK Tel:

+^^101 1223 277

3U

Fax:+4Z,(0| 1223 277 136

E-mail; infoHunep-wcmc.org

Website: wvtfw.unep-wcmc.org

No

part of this book

or transmitted into a

may be reproduced

by any

means

machine language without the

written permission of the publisher

The contents of tfie

ttiis

volume do not necessarily

views or policies of

UNEP-WCMC.

reflect

contributory

organizations, editors or publishers. The designations

employed and the presentations do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of

UNEP-WCMC

or contributory organizations, editors or

publishers concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city

or area or

its

authority, or concerning the

delimitation of

its

frontiers or boundaries or the

designation of

its

name

or allegiances.

Cloth edition ISBN

0-520-24047-2

Cataloging-in-publication data of

is

on

file

with the Library

Congress

Citation Green E.P and Short F.t 120031 World Atlas of

Seagrasses. Prepared by the UIMEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre. University of California Press, Berkeley, USA.

iiPi UNEP Si

WCMC

World Atlas Edmund

P.

of

Seagrasses

Green & Frederick

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA PRESS Berkeley Los Angeles London

T.

Short

WORLD ATLAS OF SEAGRASSES

World Atlas

of

Seagrasses

Prepared by

UNEP

World Conservation

Monitoring Centre

219 Huntingdon Road

UNEP WCMC

Cambridge CB3 DDL, UK

The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre

Tel:

+U

1223 277

10)

3U

Fax: +4ilOI 1223 277 136

infoOunep-wcmcorg

E-mail:

Website: www.unep-wcmc.org

assessment and

biodiversity

Nations Environment

of the United

arm

Programme lUNEPl,

the world's foremost intergovernmental environmental

UNEP-WCMC

organization.

alms

makers recognize the value Director

everywhere, and

Mark

do.

Collins

the

is

policy implementation

to

apply this knowledge to

The Centre's challenge

into

needs

for analysis

of nations

engage

UNEP-WCMC

is to

people

all that

they

transform complex data

and Integration, and

to

support the

and the international community as they

programs

In joint

decision-

information, to build tools and

policy-relevant

systems

help

to

of biodiversity to

of action.

provides objective, scientifically rigorous

products and services that include ecosystem assessScientific editors

Edmund

Green

P.

Frederick

T.

Short

ments, support for Implementation

agreements,

research

formation, Assistant scientific editor

regional

development

of future

and

global

of

environmental

biodiversity

on threats and scenarios for the

impacts, living

In-

and

world.

Michelle Taylor

Cartographer Corinna Ravilious Technical editor

Catherine Short

Layout Yves Messer Illustrations

A Banson

in

Appendix 3 and

at foot of

pages:

production

27 Devonshire Road

Mark Fonseca: Zostera marina

Cambridge CBl 2BH, UK Phillips RC,

Mehez EG

[1988].

Seagrasses. Smithsonian

the Marine Sciences 3^. Smithsonian

Color separations

Contributions

Swaingrove

Institution Press,

Printed

QDPI Northern Fisheries Centre, Cairns: Halophila

in

China

to

Washington DC: Zostera

Halophila capncorni.

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory contribution number 396.

Ron

Phillips: All

remaining

illustrations.

asiatica.

australis.

Supporting institutions

Supporting institutions

The United Nations Environment Programme environment.

Its

role

is

is

the principal United Nations body

in

the field of the

be the leading global environmental authority that sets the global

to

environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation

of the

environmental dimension

of

sustainable development within the United Nations system and serves as an authoritative advocate for the global environment, http://www.unep.org

The UK Department

for

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

a better quality of life for everyone,

ment

defra

at

home and

now and

and sustainable use

internationally,

is

working

for generations to

for sustainable

development;

come. This includes a better environ-

economic prosperity

of natural resources;

through sustainable farming, fishing, food, water and other industries that meet consumers' requirements; thriving economies and communities

in

rural areas and a countryside for all to enjoy.

for International Development is the UK Government department working to promote sustainable development and eliminate world poverty This publication is an output from a research program funded by DFID for the benefit of developing countries. The views expressed are not

The Department

DFID

necessarily those of DFID. http;//v7ww.dfid.govuk/

The David and

Lucile

Packard Foundation

in

1964, provides international and national support

to non-profit organizations in conservation, science

and many other areas. The foundation currently

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation, started

provides funding to SeagrassNet, a global seagrass monitoring program based at the University of

New

The University

A'

UNIVtRSirr

of

NiW HAMPSHlRf

org/, http;//www.seagrassnet.org/

Hampshire. http;//www.packard.

of

New Hampshire

a land-grant, sea-grant and space-grant public institution with

is

10 000 undergraduate and 2 000 graduate students, and a well-established marine program. The

Jackson Estuarine Laboratory

is

the primary marine research organization at

UNH

and has a strong

seagrass research component, http://www.unh.edu/, http://marine.unh.edu/jel/home.html

woridMsugmss Asmi/moN

The World Seagrass Association

is

committed

scientists

to

the science, protection and

members come from many

seagrass ecosystem worldwide. The

management

of the

countries and include leading

marine and seagrass biology The association supports training and information of seagrass science and environmental management issues.

in

exchange and raises global awareness http://www.worldseagra5s.org/

The Convention on Wetlands, signed

In

Ramsar,

Iran, in 1971, is

an intergovernmental treaty which

provides the framework for local, regional and national actions for the conservation and wise use of

wetlands and their resources. There are presently 135 Contracting Parties 1

Wetlands

iCRAN

of International

to the Convention, with

designated for inclusion

in

the

Ramsar

List of

Importance, http://ramsar.org/

The International Coral Reef Action Network is an innovative and dynamic global partnership of many of the world's leading coral reef science and conservation organizations. Established in 1999 to halt and reverse the decline of the health of the world's coral reefs the partnership draws on its partners' investments

International Coral Reef

sites, totaling 105.9 million hectares,

230 wetland

in

reef monitoring and

management

to create strategically linked actions at local,

A

national and global scales, http://icran.org/

The

.^^-^ Scientific

Scientific

Committee on Oceanic Research (SCORl was the

the International Council for Science.

SCOR

activities focus

first

interdisciplinary body

formed by

on promoting international cooperation

in

Committee on Oceanic Research

planning and conducting oceanographic research, http://www.jhu.edu/-scor

^ ^

The Estuarine Research Federation lERFI created

in

is

a private, non-profit organization.

1971 to address broad estuarine and coastal issues;

meetings and supports the

it

The federation was

holds biannual international

scientific publication Estuaries, http://www.erf.org/

WORLD ATLAS OF SEAGRASSES

Acknowledgments

World Atla5 Seagrasses Thespecial mention and deserve of

a

freely

and extensively

Without their attention

of their

to detail

is

time and experience

and

between many different people but a few nnerit amongst these are the 58 authors who have given

a product of global collaboration

extra thanl