Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A global bright spot.

Seagrass ecosystems exist throughout Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Despite this area covering nearly 8% of the global ocean, information on seagrass distribution, biogeography, and status remains largely absent from the scientific literature. We confirm 16 seagrass species occur across 17 of the 22 PICTs with the highest number in Melanesia, followed by Micronesia and Polynesia respectively.

Seagrass ecosystem contributions to people's quality of life in the Pacific Island Countries and Territories.

Seagrass ecosystems provide critical contributions (goods and perceived benefits or detriments) for the livelihoods and wellbeing of Pacific Islander peoples. Through in-depth examination of the contributions provided by seagrass ecosystems across the Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs), we find a greater quantity in the Near Oceania (New Guinea, the Bismarck Archipelago and the Solomon Islands) and western Micronesian (Palau and Northern Marianas) regions; indicating a stronger coupling between human society and seagrass ecosystems. We also find many non-material contributions historically have been overlooked and under-appreciated by decision-makers.

Over a decade monitoring Fiji's seagrass condition demonstrates resilience to anthropogenic pressures and extreme climate events.

Seagrass are an important marine ecosystem of the Fiji Islands. We confirm six seagrass species from the archipelago and defined five broad categories of seagrass habitat. We report, with high confidence, seagrass meadows covering 59.

Crowdsourcing conservation: The role of citizen science in securing a future for seagrass.

Seagrass meadows are complex social-ecological systems. Understanding seagrass meadows demands a fresh approach integrating "the human dimension". Citizen science is widely acknowledged for providing significant contributions to science, education, society and policy.

Disturbance influences the invasion of a seagrass into an existing meadow.

Future impacts from climate change and human activities may increase the likelihood of invasions of native marine species into existing habitats as a result of range shifts. To provide an understanding of the invasion of a native seagrass species (Syringodium isoetifolium) into a tropical multi-species meadow, detailed field assessments were conducted over a six year period. After establishing in a discrete patch, the extent and standing crop of S.