Seagrass Restoration: Robotics Offers New Hope for the Great Barrier Reef

Seagrass meadows span approximately 35,000 square kilometers of the Great Barrier Reef. These ecosystems contribute to reef health by absorbing and storing carbon, enhancing water quality, stabilizing sediments, and serving as food, resting, and breeding areas for marine life.

Mounting Threats and Limited Recovery

However, factors such as climate change, extreme weather, reduced water quality, and coastal development are impacting seagrass meadows. Although natural recovery is possible, the current rate of damage frequently exceeds the capacity for natural regeneration.

The Limitations of Traditional Restoration

Traditional restoration approaches, which involve manual collection and spreading of seeds, are important but are characterized by being slow, labor-intensive, and expensive.

Emma Jackson, Director of the Coastal Marine Ecosystem Research Centre at Gladstone, stated that logistical challenges associated with dispersing seeds across extensive intertidal meadows hinder large-scale seagrass restoration. This process requires numerous individuals to manually place individual seedballs, consuming significant time and resources.

Robotics Emerges as a Scalable Solution

New methods are required to address the scale and urgency of these restoration challenges, with robotics identified as a potential solution.

Jackson indicated that utilizing robots for seed planting during high tide could increase precision regarding sediment depth and placement within the seagrass meadow. This approach could substantially decrease the human resources required for restoration and consequently reduce costs.