First regional survey examining health of Southern California eelgrass beds to be launched

SCCWRP and its partners have developed plans to conduct the first regional monitoring survey examining the health of eelgrass beds across coastal Southern California.

The two-year monitoring survey, which will be launched in March, will provide baseline data to inform ongoing efforts to protect and restore these ecologically significant habitats, including within California’s estuarine Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

During the survey, researchers will use a three-tiered assessment framework for assessing the health of seagrass beds that was developed by SCCWRP in 2020. Eelgrass is a type of seagrass.

Researchers will focus on assessing the ecological functioning of eelgrass beds, as opposed to only documenting the locations and extent of eelgrass, as is more commonly done.