Seagrass meadows are critical habitats for marine wildlife, and their restoration directly improves the welfare and population resilience of dependent species.
Marine animals that depend on seagrass habitats face welfare impacts from habitat loss including food scarcity, loss of shelter, and reduced reproductive success. Fish species that use seagrass as juvenile nursery habitat suffer higher predation mortality in its absence. Seahorses and pipefish that use seagrass holdfasts face population collapse without adequate meadow extent. The restoration of seagrass directly improves the welfare of dependent species by restoring food availability, refuge from predators, and breeding habitat. The co-benefit of carbon sequestration aligns climate and welfare goals in seagrass restoration.