Seagrass-Watch Magazine Issue 47 - March 2013 | Page 19
It is estimated that 678,300 m2 (25%) of the seagrass area in the
Pari island group has been lost between 1999 to 2004 (3). As a
consequence of the seagrass losses, there was also a reduction of
associated biota (e.g., giant calm, sea cucumber, shells and fish).
To offset the seagrass losses, we decided that the seagrass
ecosystems of the Pari Islands needed rehabilitation to restore
them to good condition. Unfortunately, there are no guidelines or
protocols available for transplantation of tropical seagrasses in
Indonesian waters, so we conducted an experimental restoration
program in the Pari Islands to investigate several transplantation
techniques. The seagrasses transplantation techniques trialed
were: single shoots(4); sprig(5); and a bamboo frame modification
of TERFS (Transplanting Eelgrass Remotely with Frame
System)(6).
Single Shoot method
Potting & Transport: The polybag units of Enhalus shoots and compost mixture
transported to transplant site
Transplant shoots of Enhalus were collected from a healthy,
monospecific meadow with muddy substrate. Roots of the
Enhalus shoots were removed and the shoots separated into
polybags of compost (sheep dung, household waste and
woodchips). The shoot and compost bags were then transplanted
into the sediment with the aid of a bicycle pump or PVC pipe. A
bamboo stake was placed next to each transplanted shoot and
the leaves were cut to a height of 25 cm from the stake as a
reference point for measuring the survival and growth rates
(number, weight and height of leaves). Within 15 months of
transplantation (May 2010), the shoots had grown 2 – 8 new
shoots and were flowering. After 28 months (June 2011) the
shoots had produced fruits and we collected the seeds by
enclosing the fruits in a net.
Transplanting: The shoot and compost bag units are transplanted into the sediment with
the aid of a bicycle pump
Success: Transplanted Enhalus acoroides
successfully produced flowers (above) 15 months
after transplantation, and fruit (below) after 28
months. Seeds were collected from the fruit
using a net.
Cutting leaves: the leaves of transplanted shoots are cut to a height of 25 cm from the
reference stake
MARCH 2013
19