The project has, as generic objective, the increase of the capacity of the carbon reservoirs of Posidonia oceanica meadows through erosion reduction and subsequent consolidation of the habitat 1120*: Posidonia oceanica meadows.

In particular the specific objectives are:

(1) to quantify carbon deposits and capture rates of phanerogams meadows habitat;

(2) to analyze future developments, carbon loss ratio, potential carbon fixation and accumulation rates; the relationship between carbon emission and sequestration in degradation and erosion formations;

(3) to define the standards for the evaluation of carbon dioxide of the phanerogams meadows habitat;

(4) to identify good practices for the defense of these formations and their carbon sinks and their expansion;

(5) to stimulate dialogue at national level to activate a network of companies and organizations involved in the carbon trading market;

(6) to engage the network of Italian marine protected areas, in order to promote transfer projects of the technical results.

The SEAFOREST project therefore has the general objective of restoring the habitats of the Posidonia meadows present in some Italian protected areas, through actions to reduce their degradation. In particular, the protected areas identified are the National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni (province of Salerno), the National Park of Asinara and the National Park of the La Maddalena archipelago (province of Sassari). These territories have a large extension of posidonieti within their Marine Protected Areas, and part of this territory is threatened by the degradation factors listed above.

La Maddalena Archipelago National Park (SS), Caprera Island: Posidonia meadows seen from above. Foto M. Miozzo

ACTIONS FOR THE QUANTIFICATION OF CARBON DEPOSITS IN POSIDONIA OCEANICA MEADOWS

Accurate quantification of carbon deposits and estimation of the rate of change in relation to the degradation of the habitat due to the impacts generated by anchorages and moorings of boats in the study areas of the project will be carried out. All this with the aim of economically quantifying the benefits deriving from the Posidonia oceanica meadows surface that will be preserved thanks to the interventions of the project and to be able to give value to these protection actions thanks to the creation of a carbon credit market (see below).

ACTIONS TO REDUCE THE DEGRADATION OF HABITAT

In particular, to reduce the degradation of the Posidonia seagrasses, we will prepare a Plan for the management of anchors and moorings in Protected Areas, in order to regulate the access of the boats to the areas where the Posidonia meadows are present; moreover we will install eco-compatible moorings, more suitable for habitat conservation, to replace the moorings that may already exist, and we will remove the mooring structures no longer functioning, called "dead bodies", which caused the dead of the Posidonia oceanica meadows creating a empty inside the prairie.

ACTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT OF THE BEHAVIOR VEGETABLE RESIDUES

We will also deal with the residues of Posidonia, the so-called "blanquettes", which represent a problem along the coasts with a high tourist vocation. In particular we will try to promote a sustainable management of these residues, providing for the production of compost and acoustic panels.

ACTIONS FOR THE INCREASE OF HABITAT

We will use the stranded seeds and sprouts of Posidonia oceanica, in order to make a revegetation of the habitat. Therefore, natural nurseries will be created inside the Protected Areas, where the seedlings will be germinated, in order to make the dead "matte", once the prairie erosion has occurred.

THE CARBON CREDIT MARKET

A very important and innovative aspect of the SeaForest project concerns the carbon credit market. In fact, we will create a market deriving from the project, by creating a national IT platform for the purchase and sale of carbon credits generated by the project. Finally we will make sales contracts with companies interested in compensating their emissions by purchasing carbon credits.

EXPORT OF THE PROJECT TO MALTA

We will involve the network of Italian Marine Protected Areas in order to promote projects to transfer the technical results achieved in the SEA FOREST LIFE project. Moreover, thanks to our Maltese partner PARAGON Europe, the "Malta Laboratory" will be established, so the project will be extended to the Maltese territory, where territorial agreements will be established with stakeholders, for the adoption of the SEAFOREST model also within Marine Areas Maltese Protected.

To achieve the objectives of the project, and contribute to the conservation of Posidonia oceanica in the Mediterranean, the following actions are planned:

Preparatory actions:

• A.1 QUANTIFICATION OF CARBON DEPOSITS AND RATE OF CHANGE IN RELATION TO HABITAT DEGRADATION

Concrete conservations actions:

• C.1. DEFINITION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES THAT HABITAT 1120* GENERATES FOR THE MITIGATION OF CLIMATE CHANGE
• C.2 DEFINITION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF HABITAT 1120*: ANCHOR AND MOORAGE MANAGEMENT PLAN
• C.3 DEFINITION OF BEST PRACTICES FOR THE CONSERVATION OF HABITAT 1120*: MOORING OPERATIONS
• C.4 MANAGEMENT OF BEACHED POSIDONIA RESIDUES
• C.5 PRACTICES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF SEED AND SPROUTS OF POSIDONIA FOR THE HABITAT 1120* RESTORATION
• C.6 CREATING A LIFE SEAFOREST CARBON MARKET PORTAL
• C.7 MALTA LAB: CREATION OF TERRITORIAL AGREEMENTS FOR THE ADOPTION OF THE SEAFOREST MODEL

Monitoring actions:

• D.1 PROJECT EFFECT MONITORING
• D.2 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT MONITORING

Dissemination actions:

• E.1 COMMUNICATION PLAN AND ITS ADOPTION
• E.2 COMMUNICATION AND AWARENESS
• E.3 MEDITERRANEAN NETWORK FOR THE DEFINITION OF CARBON CREDIT CERTIFICATION STANDARDS DERIVING FROM POSIDONIA MEADOWS

General management actions:

• F.1 General Project Management
• F.2 Audit and After Life Plan

Blue Carbon is the carbon stored in coastal and marine ecosystems. It is captured by the oceans and coastal ecosystems of the world, unlike the green carbon that is stored by forests and their soils. The Blue Carbon captured by the organisms that live in the oceans is stored in the form of biomass and sediments, mainly in the mangroves, in the peat bogs and in the meadows of phanerogams (like the Posidonia meadows).

The carbon is stored in the ocean sediments and rhizomes of the marine plant called Posidonia oceanica, which houses innumerable living forms among its leaves: fish, molluscs, seaweed, etc.  Photo F. Pacenza

Although the plant biomass in the ocean is lower than the Earth's biomass (0.05%), it absorbs almost the same annual carbon quantity of terrestrial plant organisms, and therefore represents very efficient Blue Carbon sinks.

Marine plants, in particular, contain sediments of organic carbon in sediments higher than those stored by terrestrial forest ecosystems. These ecosystems, including the habitat of the Posidonia meadows, are included in the Natura 2000 Network, a European ecological network created to ensure the long-term maintenance of natural habitats and threatened or rare species of flora and fauna.

Parco Nazionale dell'arcipelago di La Maddalena (SS): Posidonieto visto dall'alto. Foto M. Miozzo

The degradation and loss of these ecosystems leads to an emission comparable to 10% of emissions deriving from deforestation. 

To be useful for climate change mitigation, carbon must be sequestered in the long term (at least 100 years), so it is the organic fraction sequestered in matte that assumes the main role from this point of view.

To learn more about this topic:

The Blue Carbon Initiative