The Virginia Coast Reserve has the most successful seagrass (eelgrass, Zostera marina) restoration in the world- from 0 to nearly 10,000 acres in the past twenty years- and still expanding. This restoration has provided the research- led by the University of Virginia- that has led to the development of the blue carbon seagrass protocol and has set the basis for the first ever blue carbon seagrass project.
Each spring since 2008, 40 to 60 volunteers have signed on to boost the now decades-long partnership. Volunteer snorkelers collect reproductive shoots containing ripe seeds from the underwater plants. The shoots are measured into water tanks where the seeds are then cured, separated, and prepared for fall planting.
Type: Conservation of biodiversity
Field of activity: Ecosystem/habitat restoration
Responsible body: Nature Conservancy’s Volgenau Virginia Coast Reserve
Period: 2008 onward
Contact: Jill Bieri - jbieri@tnc.org
Area of operation: Virgina Coast Reserve
See on the map