Seagrass meadows are a coastal ecosystem with indisputable value for life below and above water. On a global scale, seagrass plays a major role in terms of food security, shoreline protection, carbon sequestration, provision of livelihoods for coastal communities, and biodiversity enhancement by providing habitats for megafauna of special interest and endangered species. Despite the presence of seagrass meadows in West Africa, this region has historically been one of the least studied areas of seagrasses in the world. Without adequate data and knowledge of seagrasses in West Africa, these ecosystems have often been omitted from protection, conservation and management policies. Funded by the MAVA foundation, the ResilienSEA (Resilient Seagrasses) project (2018-2022) has supported research and capacity building activities to map and monitor seagrasses within seven West African pilot countries: Cabo Verde, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mauritania, Senegal and Sierra Leone. Over the past five years, these countries have mapped the presence of seagrasses at various national pilot sites, where further research, management and outreach activities have been conducted, and some monitoring activities have even yielded the discovery of several previously unknown seagrass meadows. The Meadows of Knowledge marine atlas aims to showcase these recent strides made in West Africa to discover, map and monitor seagrass meadows. By documenting each nation’s experiences with mapping and monitoring seagrasses, this atlas will also delve into the challenges, lessons learned, successes and potential opportunities that lay ahead for incorporating seagrass meadows into national and regional protection and conservation policies

Tags: Africa ResilienSEA seagrass