Seagrasses

Seagrasses are becoming widely used as in situ indicators of the relative health and condition of subtropical and tropical estuarine ecosystems. To permit meaningful management of our estuaries, there is clearly a need to develop and refine ways of effectively monitoring and assessing seagrasses.

Seagrasses: Monitoring, Ecology, Physiology, and Management includes the peer-reviewed, written results of presentations made at a recent workshop that addressed this very issue. A total of 28 original research and review chapters are organized around four major themes: Ecology and Physiology, Monitoring and Trends, Management, and Restoration. Additional research study results, not completed at the time of the workshop, are also included as they are directly related to the topic of seagrass management ecology.

Overall, Seagrasses: Monitoring, Ecology, Physiology, and Management encompasses the latest research in seagrass management ecology to assist in the promotion of a dialogue between the research and environmental management communities. Not only will this work serve as a cornerstone for continued improvement in effectively monitoring the health and condition of near coastal waters, but also as a reference central to the premise that effective and efficient assessment of seagrasses will aid in estuarine ecosystem management.