Medgardens

€5.000 awarded

The Mediterranean underwater forests are formed by seagrass and algae communities, which are essential contributors to biodiversity as these provide shelter, food, nurseries, etc. Also, they provide relevant benefits to society (Ecosystem Services):

‣ Twice more productive than forests or croplands

‣ Produce 5 times more Oxygen than rainforests

‣ Important contributors to biodiversity (food, habitat, refuge, nursery, etc.)

‣ Enhance fisheries (habitat, water quality, food, etc.)

‣ Water quality & clarity, nutrient cycling, particle trapping, water attenuation, aesthetics, etc.

‣ Coastal protection against erosion

‣ Carbon sink mitigating climate change

Unfortunately, these habitats are threatened by human pressures such as:

‣ Overfishing

‣ Habitat degradation & destruction

‣ Pollution

‣ Climate change

Martin Colognoli

ABOUT MEDGARDENS

A MedGarden unit is a small plot of shallow coastal seabed where native seagrass and algae forests are transplanted or reinforced. These spaces become social and environmental labs where citizens and scientists concur.

When underwater forests are regenerated, they create new habitats where other animal and plant species can thrive, contributing to the regeneration of biodiversity and with it, the ecosystem’s resilience.

Mallorca Preservation supports CleanWave Foundation in the creation of 4 pilot medgardens, by funding part of the Formentor Medgarden. Whith the regeration of small plot of seabed, we hope not just to contribute to a healthier marine ecosystem, but also to bring people to the sea and its beauty.