Introduction

Marine phanerogams are aquatic plants that play a critical ecological role and provide numerous ecosystem goods and services. Posidonia oceanica, phanerogama endemic to the Mediterranean, is considered a threatened species and its habitat deserving of protection at national and European level. ​

Technical features

The transplantation of P. oceanica cuttings is considered by national legislation to be a useful measure of environmental mitigation / recovery and pilot transplantation interventions have been carried out in various locations in the Mediterranean. To date, the cuttings used in these types of intervention are taken from “donor” grasslands, although this practice can have negative consequences by triggering erosion processes within the latter. The patented system presented exploits the fact that during exceptional P. oceanica flowering events (which occur periodically) millions of fruits are deposited on the beaches during storm surges. The seeds taken from these fruits are germinated under controlled conditions as regards the turnover, the level and movement of water, solar radiation and the supply of wastewater. The seedlings obtained are grown in specially set up and equipped aquaculture tanks. For the cultivation of shoots, pots for aquatic plants containing coarse coral sand are used. For the cultivation of adult seedlings, perforated plastic boxes containing coral sand enriched with a slow-release fertiliser are used.

Possible Applications

• Environmental agencies and firms whose activities may directly or indirectly affect the marine environment and P. oceanica grasslands;
• Mitigation and/or compensation measures to meet EIA (environmental impact assessment) requirements;
• Aquaculture or mariculture facilities.

Advantages

• Ability to supply large quantities of plants to be used for the restoration of marine environments without causing any damage to the existing prairies of P. oceanica.​

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