GETTING THE FOUNDATION RIGHT: A SCIENTIFICALLY BASED MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK TO AID IN THE PLANNING AND IMPLEMENTATION OF SEAGRASS TRANSPLANT EFFORTS

摘要

The process of seagrass transplantation is widely recognised as complex, producing few successes. Globally, there have been many attempts to restore, revegetate and mitigate for seagrass losses yet there is still no single method that ensures success. Transplantation efforts have suffered from significant lack of a clear and consistent planning and implementation approach. Here, a decision-based framework to aid in the planning and implementation of seagrass transplant efforts is presented. The framework is based on species-specific biological considerations and comprises five steps: (1) objective setting; (2) site selection; (3) transplant unit and technique; (4) habitat enhancement; and (5) review of objectives. This framework was implemented in a transplant effort using Posidonia australis (R. Br.) Hook f., resulting in moderate success rates (42% survival and 39% growth). The framework has the potential to be applied to other bioregions and other species.