Discover the seeds that wash up on the beach

Over sum­mer you might notice a lot of marine plants and seeds washed up along the coast­line. These are the flow­ers and seeds of sea­grass, which play a cru­cial role in the bio­di­ver­si­ty and health of South Aus­trali­a’s coastal waters.

What role to sea­grass­es play?

South Aus­tralia is home to some of the largest tem­per­ate sea­grass beds in the world. 

They pro­vide a nurs­ery for fish and oth­er marine crea­tures, con­tribute to water qual­i­ty by trap­ping sed­i­ments, and help pro­tect shore­lines from ero­sion. Fur­ther­more, sea­grass mead­ows serve as vital car­bon sinks, cap­tur­ing car­bon diox­ide and mit­i­gat­ing the impacts of cli­mate change impacts.

Sea­grass flow­ers are a food source for fish and crus­taceans. Once pol­li­nat­ed, sea­grass flow­ers pro­duce seeds, which are crit­i­cal for the regen­er­a­tion of mead­ows. These seeds can float to new areas or set­tle in the sand to grow into new plants, help­ing sus­tain sea­grass mead­ows over time. 

What’s hap­pen­ing to increase sea­grass meadows?

Large areas of Australia’s sea­grass mead­ows have dis­ap­peared in recent decades, and efforts have been tak­ing place to restore them around the coun­try, includ­ing South Australia. 

One exam­ple is the Sea­grass for Snap­per project in the Fleurieu Penin­su­la region. Since 2020, vol­un­teers have been col­lect­ing seeds along the shore­line to redis­perse and regen­er­ate sea­grass meadows. 

Can I help?

Yes you can — This sum­mer, the Seeds for Snap­per ini­tia­tive invites you to par­tic­i­pate in a cit­i­zen sci­ence project and share pho­tos of your sea­grass flower and seed sightings. 

So next time you go for a beach walk, take note of what you see on the beach – it might be the seed to the future of our coastal ecosystems.

Head­er image: cour­tesy of Andrew Burnell