Abstract
Seagrass provide several important and key ecosystem services, and are of great value to humans, but seagrass meadows are under increasing pressure from for example coastal development and fishing. The multiple threats create unique management and conservation challenges and critical information is missing for effective management. The aim of this study is to achieve a better understanding of the seagrass ecosystems in order to improve management and thus advance conservation. Critical information about seagrass to improve management is still lacking, and this study will fill some of the most important knowledge gaps. This will be done in four steps, 1) investigate how different functional groups affect the seagrass ecosystem with a natural experiment, 2) investigate population genetics and dispersal for a common seagrass, 3) develop a technique to map habitats in shallow seas, how they are used and managed, and by whom they are governed and lastly 4) through a litterature review combined with the findings in step 1-3, develop management actions that are realistic and can promote sustainability. The research in this study is not only relevant to seagrass ecosystems, for example, research like the proposed multi-functionality study is lacking for all systems, the population genetics study will provide clues about dispersal for other marine organisms, and similar habitat to governance maps can be produced and used for many habitats, as well as for urban areas.
Sweden