🌿 Posidonia oceanica: The Queen of the Mediterranean

Often mistaken for seaweed, Posidonia oceanica is a flowering marine plant and one of the Mediterranean’s most valuable ecosystems.Its meadows can host up to 1,000 species, protect coastlines, support fisheries and store carbon accumulated over centuries. But Posidonia grows only a few centimetres each year, meaning damage can take centuries to recover.In this episode, marine scientist Dr Dimitris Poursanidis takes us beneath the surface to explore the importance of Posidonia, the threats facing its meadows, and how scientists monitor them using satellites, sonar, drones, eDNA and underwater observations.We also discuss ghost nets, abandoned aquaculture materials, microplastics and carbon storage — and why removing marine litter can help give these slow-growing ecosystems a chance to recover.🎧 Listen now and discover the Queen of the Mediterranean.#HealthySeas #PosidoniaOceanica #Mediterranean #MarineConservation #MarineScience #GhostGearIf you enjoyed this episode, please be sure to subscribe, rate and review it! This helps to boost its visibility.Healthy Seas is a marine conservation organization whose mission is to tackle the ghost fishing phenomenon and turn this waste into an opportunity for a more circular economy. They do this through clean-ups, prevention, education, and working with partners who recycle and repurpose this material. The podcast is hosted by Crystal DiMiceli.