Third East Asian Seas Youth Forum Toolkit - PEMSEA.org

Third East Asian Seas Youth Forum
Seagrass and sand dunes
Seagrasses and sand dunes offer a wide array of economically valuable goods and
services. Seagrass beds are usually connected and integrated to coral reefs and
mangrove ecosystems. Seagrasses, as coral reefs, provide the base for eco-tourism
and fisheries. The Indo-Pacific region is the center of seagrass diversity of the world
with 24 species and large underwater meadows.
Southeast Asia is endowed with close to 60, 000 sq km of seagrasses and has 18 of
the world’s 60 seagrass species and 33 percent of all seagrass areas on earth. One
hectare of seagrass meadows is worth around 17,700 USD per year, for its provision
of food and shelter to valued fish and seafood such as prawn populations. Estimated
value of seagrass and coastal swamp areas in South China Sea region is US$191
billion per year. An estimated 600 million people depend directly on these resources
(mangroves, coral reefs, and seagrass beds) for food and income, which also forms
the economic base for the fishing and tourism industries of the Southeast Asian
region.
However, seagrass beds in Southeast Asia have been reduced or degraded by 20 to
50% through increased sediments, nutrients and destructive fishing. Sedimentation
has the greatest impact on tropical seagrasses. Mining for river sand is a major
threat in Asian countries. When rivers are mined, the amount of sand being washed
to coastal stretches reduces, resulting in coastal erosion.
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Distribution of the world’s seagrasses (Nelleman et. al., 2009).
Benefits from wetlands (Nelleman, 2010).