Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on June 20, 2025
2 min readLast updated: January 23, 2026
Add as preferred source on Google
Croatian scientists advocate for stronger protection of Posidonia seagrass meadows, vital for marine life and carbon absorption, against human threats in the Adriatic Sea.
DUGI OTOK, Croatia (Reuters) -At Croatia’s Dugi Otok island in the Adriatic Sea, scientists, demanding action to protect environmentally important meadows of seagrass, have been on a diving mission to assess the damage inflicted by human activity.
Named after Poseidon, the ancient Greek god of the sea, Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Mediterranean tapeweed, provides food and shelter for fish, protects coasts from erosion, purifies sea water and can play a vital role in helping to tackle global warming.
A meadow of Posidonia can annually soak up to 15 times more carbon dioxide than a similar sized piece of the Amazon rainforest, scientific research has found.
But the scientists say much more needs to be done to protect it from tourist anchoring and from trawlers dragging fishing nets in the waters of the Adriatic Sea off Dugi Otok and the surrounding Kornati archipelago national park.
They have urged tougher regulations and fines for anyone breaching them.
Dominik Mihaljevic, a biologist at the national park, said the park had begun to install anchorages that would not harm the seagrass.
"Our ultimate goal is to completely prohibit anchoring at the 19 anchorage locations that are currently in use," he said.
Matea Spika, a senior associate at Croatia’s Sunce environmental protection association, told Reuters Mediterranean Posidonia, endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, had declined by 30% in the last 30-to-40 years.
Apart from the issue of anchors and fishing nets, she said chemicals, excess nutrients from farms and cities, warmer waters due to climate change, and invasive species had caused further damage.
New ports and artificial beaches have also blocked sunlight essential for Posidonia’s growth.
(Reporting by Reporting by Antonio Bronic, Writing by Aleksandar Vasovics; editing by Barbara Lewis)
Posidonia oceanica, commonly known as Mediterranean tapeweed, is a seagrass that provides food and shelter for fish, protects coasts from erosion, and purifies seawater.
A meadow of Posidonia can absorb up to 15 times more carbon dioxide annually than an equivalent area of the Amazon rainforest, making it crucial for carbon sequestration.
Posidonia seagrass is threatened by tourist anchoring, trawlers dragging fishing nets, chemicals, excess nutrients, climate change, and invasive species.
Scientists are urging tougher regulations and fines for breaches, and they aim to prohibit anchoring at the 19 current anchorage locations to protect the seagrass.
Matea Spika from Croatia’s Sunce environmental protection association stated that Mediterranean Posidonia has declined by 30% in the last 30 to 40 years.
Explore more articles in the Headlines category
