Seagrass meadows are the engineers of the marine ecosystem. They provide habitats, support biodiversity, prevent coastal erosion and sequester carbon dioxide. For this reason Italy has embarked upon a world leading project to map these coastal ecosystems at a national scale, enabling it to plan protection and restoration measures that will improve ocean health and meet legislative targets. 

This is only possible thanks to recent advances in coastal mapping technology and the sophisticated integration of state of the art data collected by a range of sources from satellite sensors, lidar and multibeam echosounders to hyperspectral cameras on autonomous underwater vessels.

Guests

Dr Hannah Brocke, co-founder and chief strategy officer, PlanBlue

Benoit Cajelot, regional manager climate and nature, Europe and Africa, Fugro

Professor Francesco Cinelli, Professor of Marine Ecology at University of Pisa 

Dr Knut Hartmann, chief operating officer EOMAP, a Fugro company.

Featuring

Giordano Giorgi, project director, Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)

Resources

Mapping Italy’s seagrass for biodiversity gain by Planet Beyond

Partner

Fugro is the world’s leading geo-data specialist, collecting and analysing comprehensive information about the Earth and the structures built upon it. Through integrated data acquisition, analysis and advice, Fugro unlocks insights from geo-data to help clients design, build and operate their assets in a safe, sustainable and efficient manner.

The post #322 Engineering Ecosystems: Italy’s Seagrass Meadows first appeared on Engineering Matters.