Professor Brent Hughes and Abbey Dias '23 play key roles in global Seagrass Restoration Handbook and videos
Sonoma State biology professor Brent Hughes and graduate Abbey Dias ‘23 contributed to a new, publicly available how-to handbook and video series being released in conjunction with World Seagrass Day, March 1, 2025.
“The general public can now approach seagrass restoration without big costs and the need for full-time scientists, which will help expand restoration globally,” said Hughes.
The handbook, produced by the Anthropocene Institute's ocean program, is based on groundbreaking research from a successful eelgrass restoration project at California’s Elkhorn Slough, led by Hughes and conducted with scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, San Francisco State University, and the University of California, Davis. Results of the study were published in the Ecological Society of America journal.
Dias, who graduated from Sonoma State with a master’s degree in biology, was a cinematographer, assistant director, and primary editor on the film series that accompanies the handbook. Dias and Owen Davis-Bower co-produced another film about underwater and terrestrial forests, “The Forest Stands Tall,” which was an official selection of the International Ocean Film Festival 2022.
“Seagrasses are underappreciated habitats that do many incredible things for us humans, such as growing fish and invertebrates that we depend on, and sequestering carbon,” Hughes said.
Together with coastal kelp, seagrass meadows capture 83 million metric tons of carbon annually, helping to mitigate climate change. Just one square meter of seagrass generates up to 10 liters of oxygen per day, while an acre of healthy seagrass can sustain 40,000 fish and millions of invertebrates. Seagrasses also help counter ocean acidification and nitrification.
“We are hoping to provide the general public with the resources to restore seagrass because, while important, they are highly imperiled,” Hughes said.
In May 2022, the United Nations General Assembly proclaimed March 1 as World Seagrass Day to raise awareness about the importance of seagrass conservation. By conserving and restoring seagrass meadows, countries can also help achieve 26 targets and indicators tied to 10 Sustainable Development Goals, advancing global sustainability efforts.