Potential carbon stocks of seagrass species in Bunaken Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia

Seagrass meadows are highly valuable ecosystems and play crucial roles in marine ecosystem dynamics by providing food and shelters for many organisms, especially as nursery grounds for commercially important reef fishes. However, seagrass beds around the world have been heavily impacted by human activities. Although marine protected areas have been established globally, seagrass beds remain poorly represented compared to coral reefs. In this study, the researchers gathered preliminary but important baseline information on the Carbon stock (g C m-2) of different seagrass species around Bunaken Island, North Sulawesi. A total of five species were quantified with the Eelgrass Enhalus acoroides having the highest Carbon stock (47±4.8 g C m-2) while the rest of the species have Carbon stocks below 10 g C m-2.