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The MEDSEA Foundation, committed to the protection and conservation of the marine and coastal ecosystems of the Mediterranean, is launching a campaign of great environmental value to restore the marine Posidonia oceanica forests in Sardinia.  

In 2022 20,000 new plants will be planted on an area of ​​1,000 m2, thanks to three projects: the first is underway off the Sinis Peninsula, in collaboration with the Penisola del Sinis - Isola di Mal di Ventre Marine Protected Area, which provides for the restoration of an area of ​​350 m2 with approximately 7,000 plants; the second and third which will start shortly, respectively, of 250 m2 in Villasimius (in the Marine Protected Area of ​​Capo Carbonara) and 400 m2 in Domus de Maria. 

"Our goal - explains Alessio Satta, president of the MEDSEA Foundation - is to be able to plant 1 million new plants of Posidonia oceanica by 2030. Our campaign is part of a larger project "A Marine Forest to save the Planet "which intends to restore at least 5 thousand hectares of degraded Posidonia oceanica meadows in the Mediterranean Sea by 2050. For this we appeal to companies, public and private bodies and institutions that want to engage in long-range environmental sustainability projects and to protect the environment and especially our precious sea. We will provide portions of the seabed equal to 100 m2, which we will call the Minimum Functional Unit (UFM). The purchase of 1 UFM will contribute to the planting of 2,000 seedlings with a capacity to sequester CO2 equal to 440 kg per year. We decided to focus on this campaign because the Posidonia oceanica is a vital plant for the protection of our planet". 

Not everyone knows that Posidonia oceanica is an extremely important endemic plant of the Mediterranean:  

• it is a habitat for settlement, shelter, nourishment, reproduction and development area for fish;
• is capable of reducing the impact of waves linked to extreme weather conditions - which will be increasingly frequent over the next few decades due to climate change;
• is capable of reducing coastal erosion;
• absorbs large amounts of CO2 that would otherwise be released into the atmosphere.

According to MEDSEA, it is estimates that among 170 thousand hectares of Posidonia oceanica meadows in Sardinia, 14% are damaged (more than 20 thousand hectares). The degradation of the prairies can be traced to numerous causes, almost exclusively of anthropogenic origin such as irregular anchoring on the prairies, illegal trawling, coastal development such as the construction of ports, dams, breakwater barriers. These can modify currents and waves and, therefore, the transport of sediments that can cause the burial of the prairie and favor its regression or increase the turbidity of the waters, negatively affecting the photosynthesis capacity of the plant. 

“Intervening on damaged Posidonia oceanica meadows before there is an emergency is certainly the best way to prevent it. - explains Francesca Frau, MEDSEA marine biologist - The loss of Posidonia is an immense damage considering that this plant grows just 1 - 2 cm / year. Our job is to find the best area to recreate the forest through the use of an underwater drone. We then proceed with the reforestation and for 5 years we monitor the growth of the seedlings ". 

Pic by MEDSEA & Andrea Alvito