Seagrass conservation: lessons from ethnobotany

Abstract

Current measures to protect and conserve seagrasses are nested in the legislative or judicial process. While this legal/judicial model may arrest activity in the short term, we contend that it may not deliver a long-term solution. We propose an alternative model, using insights derived from historical archives and participant observation interviews. People tend to conserve what they cherish and use. With the seagrass biome disappearing around the globe, we suggest one strategy for seagrass conservation lies in historical and ethnobotanical records of seagrass use.