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Seagrass restoration activities continue across the Mediterranean through a programme supporting the recovery of degraded Posidonia oceanica meadows in several countries, including Italy, Malta, Greece and Türkiye.
Following restoration interventions in Sardinia and Malta, MEDSEA has now completed a new restoration campaign on the Greek island of Arkoudi, working alongside iSea, a Greek environmental organisation dedicated to marine conservation.
Arkoudi, one of the uninhabited islets of the Inner Ionian Archipelago, is a popular destination for recreational vessels and yachts. In recent years, unregulated anchoring has severely degraded local Posidonia oceanica meadows, leaving extensive areas of damaged habitat and numerous uprooted shoots. Despite being part of the Natura 2000 network and included in plans for the future National Marine Park of the Ionian Sea, the area remains under significant pressure from boating activities.
Over the course of a week last May, restoration teams transplanted approximately 2,000 Posidonia oceanica cuttings across a 200-square-metre site located at a depth of around 10 metres. The area had been significantly impacted by anchoring activities, which over time fragmented and degraded the seagrass meadow.
The cuttings used for the intervention were collected from shoots naturally uprooted in highly frequented boating areas. By recovering and replanting this material, the project contributes to the restoration of damaged habitats while reducing the loss of viable seagrass fragments.
The operations also attracted considerable interest from the local community. Throughout the week, residents and visitors approached the harbour to observe the preparation of the cuttings and learn more about the restoration process and the ecological importance of seagrass meadows.
“We are pleased to continue this journey across the Mediterranean together with our partners,” said Francesca Frau, Marine Restoration Programme Manager at MEDSEA. “Each restoration site presents different environmental conditions, pressures and management approaches. Working across these diverse contexts allows us to compare experiences, refine restoration methodologies and strengthen our understanding of what is needed to ensure the long-term recovery of seagrass ecosystems throughout the Mediterranean.”
However, this initiative marks only the beginning of a longer-term commitment. “Over the next three years, - added a representative from iSea - we will closely monitor the growth and survival of the transplanted shoots, generating valuable data to assess the effectiveness of restoration techniques, refine best practices, and support the development of practical guidelines for future Posidonia oceanica restoration efforts in the region.
The initiative is supported by Fondation de la Mer, a French foundation committed to biodiversity protection programmes worldwide. Through its Seagrass Programme, dedicated primarily to seagrass conservation in the Mediterranean, the foundation works with the support of CMA CGM. As the financial partner of the initiative, the CMA CGM Group—a global leader in sea, land, air and logistics solutions—supports conservation and restoration actions for fragile marine ecosystems throughout the Mediterranean and beyond.
The intervention in Arkoudi is also part of MEDSEA’s broader campaign, A Sea Forest to Save the Planet, which promotes awareness and action for the protection and restoration of Mediterranean seagrass meadows.
The next restoration activities are scheduled to take place in Türkiye at the end of June, continuing a shared effort to restore one of the Mediterranean’s most valuable marine habitats and the ecosystem services it provides to coastal communities.
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