The Ecosystem Panacea
By : Ilori Tankpinou
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/seagrass-restoration-project-virginia-ecosystem-rapid-recovery
A group of researchers and volunteers led by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science and The Nature Conservancy, have planted over 70 million eelgrass seeds throughout the end of Virginia’s Eastern Shore. They initially spread the seeds over 200 hectares, and the eelgrass has now spread to over 3,162 hectares. The reason why this is so awesome is because the eelgrass creates a strong healthy ecosystem that traps 3,000 metric tons of carbon and 600 metric tons of nitrogen which contribute to climate change. They also protect coastlines, create habitats for marine life, and restore water quality.
Questions:
Do you think there are any potential cons that planting this eelgrass could have?
Do you think this solution should be implemented around the world?
Do the benefits outweigh the cost of this eelgrass project? (Costs about $9,000 to over $1M per hectare.)
Source:
http://gulfofmaine.org/public/habitat-restoration-program/project-planning/eelgrass/
https://blog.nature.org/science/2014/03/11/investing-in-seagrass/
Potential risks of eelgrass include competition with native plants, however, if they don't have negative impacts on the balance of the ecosystem, then this would be a good solution. This would be a good solution for waters that are impacted by climate change and pollution, otherwise the cost would be too much with too little benefit.
ReplyDeleteCarissa Bersche
I do think the benefits could outweigh the cost and I don't know if it could outweigh the ecosystem that could get changed. I think their needs to be test done on how if effects the ecosystem and maybe only put in in ecosystems that have the least amount of impact.
ReplyDeleteI think the benefits outweigh the cost. We are running out of time to reverse the effects of climate change, so even though it is very expensive, at least some efforts are being made to help protect our ecosystems and coastlines. I think this solution should be implemented around the world, but there is definitely the cost factor to consider.
ReplyDelete-Trinity Mathis
We definitely need to find a solution fast, and I agree with you that eelgrass (despite its cost) would be a great solution to the our climate issues on our coastlines.
DeleteI think the cost is worth it because planting the eelgrass seeds all over the globe, with the help of businesses, organizations, and governments, could drastically improve our climate crisis. We should all be worried about our situation and trying to do everything in our power to help alleviate it or we might not have a planet left in the future.
ReplyDelete-Shirin Saha
i think potential risks would just be competition with other naturally found plants as well as it could disrupt the food chain. i think this solution should be implemented around the world but with respect to understanding natural ecosystems and the impacts that it could have on them. the cost is certainly worth the benefit, however. - Nathan Clark
ReplyDeleteI agree with you I think that one of the cons could be that eelgrass becomes an invasive species and disrupts the environment around it.
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