The OCEAN-LEAVES chair (optimization of conservation and engagement for marine seagrass), led by the UBO Foundation (University of Western Brittany) and scientists Claire Hellio and Fanny Kerninon, has officially been launched.
A groundbreaking scientific initiative in the face of environmental urgency
Faced with the urgency of safeguarding marine seagrass, underwater ecosystems formed by flowering plants that play an essential role in the balance of marine and terrestrial ecosystems, the OCEAN-LEAVES chair will structure research by bringing together experts, institutions, and public and private partners.
It will provide essential knowledge and expertise to define concrete actions, inform policy decisions, and strengthen cooperation regionally, nationally, and internationally.
Marine seagrass must be better known to be saved
Overseas marine seagrass beds are essential allies for climate and biodiversity, yet they remain largely unknown. Today, they face multiple pressures: climate change, pollution, increased turbidity, nutrient excess, sedimentation, trampling, and uprooting.
The artificialization of the coast and the degradation of water quality worsen their fragility.
In the face of their decline, it is urgent to produce robust scientific data to better understand and act to preserve these ecosystems.
They are considered priority ecosystems to protect and restore. France is strongly committed to the preservation of marine and coastal ecosystems in tropical regions.
Seagrass meadows are plant ecosystems composed of marine angiosperms.
Highly productive and rich in biodiversity, they play a major role in climate, coastal protection, and biodiversity support.
They fulfill essential functions for: – marine biodiversity, serving as habitat and nursery for numerous species; – coastal protection, stabilizing sediments and limiting erosion; – climate, thanks to their ability to store carbon in marine soils; – human activities, such as fishing or maintaining coastal water quality.
There are 72 species worldwide, covering approximately 300,000 km² of mapped seagrass meadows.
In tropical areas, their services are enhanced by interactions with coral reefs and mangroves.
In France, these ecosystems play a significant role, particularly in overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, Mayotte, La Réunion, Nouvelle-Calédonie, French Polynesia), where they are particularly well-developed and diverse.
The OCEAN-LEAVES chair, an expert tool for structuring research and conservation actions
Facing these challenges, the OCEAN-LEAVES chair aims to gather researchers, institutions, and public and private actors around three main objectives: 1 – structuring operational and innovative research in service of territories; 2 – strengthening the interface between actors and the dissemination of knowledge; 3 – supporting sustainable management and preservation actions at different scales.
It is part of a public-private dynamic aimed at enhancing the impact of actions carried out in territories, particularly in overseas regions.
Partners and supporters
Led by the UBO Foundation, the OCEAN-LEAVES chair is mainly supported by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Biodiversity and International Climate and Nature Negotiations and the Ministry of Overseas France within the framework of Ifrecor. Other financial partners are also involved.
About The UBO Foundation – University of Western Brittany
The UBO Foundation is a partnership structure aiming to strengthen ties between the university and its socio-economic partners. Its main missions are to support research, innovation, and training, enhance the attractiveness and visibility of UBO, and foster synergies with public and private actors serving the territory.
univ-brest.fr/ubo-fondation/fr
About Ifrecor
Established in 1999, Ifrecor’s main objective is to promote the protection and sustainable management of coral reefs and associated ecosystems in overseas territories locally, nationally, and internationally. To achieve this objective, Ifrecor’s national committee implements a 5-year action program on various themes: monitoring networks, coral reef restoration, species and ecosystem red lists, compensation calculation tools, mapping, etc. This action program is then broken down into local action plans established by each overseas territory. Ifrecor also disseminates French scientific and technical knowledge acquired on coral reefs, promotes French technologies and know-how, and promotes the participation of French public institutions, researchers, and study offices in international coral reef research and management programs.
ifrecor.fr
