Posidonia: here’s how it was transplanted in San Remo using an innovative technique

One of the latest Posidonia reforestation interventions operated by the Blue Forest project team affected the coastal stretch of San Remo on July 8-12.
Developed a technique involving “eco” anchoring of the plants. Strange is the fate of Posidonia.
There are those who have, even today, not the slightest idea what it is and those who know it and often, as ignorant people, despise it because it invades beaches during storm surges and gives off the kind of salty bad smell.
Those who go to sea on the contrary have learned to respect this fragile and very valuable marine plant that is the green lung of the Mediterranean.
And precisely because it is a plant that needs to be protected and takes years to grow, fortunately there are also those who with a lot of hard work and commitment are working to reforest Posidonia.
Such as for example Blue Forest, an international project of One Ocean Foundation for the protection of underwater forests that deals with scientific research, impact activities, restoration interventions and education about Posidonia Oceanica.
One of the latest Posidonia reforestation interventions operated Blue Forest involved on July 8-12 the coastal stretch of San Remo.
The site is located at Porto Vecchio (geographic coordinates 43°48’38.79 “N; 7°46’50.30 “E), where, at a depth of 12 meters, about 2,500 cuttings recovered from those found free on the seabed, uprooted due to anthropogenic impacts from beach and harbor defense works or natural impacts, such as strong sea storms, were planted. Read also: Some people plant Posidonia oceanica to save the Mediterranean. Here’s how to do it

Coconut nets and metal stakes to reforest the seabed

Transplanting involves the use of two different ecological marine restoration techniques: the bio-mat technique, used so far within the Blue Forest project, which, in this case, involves laying 8 coconut fiber nets on the seabed to cover an area of 90 square meters, and the metal stakes technique, which covers the remaining 10 square meters and involves anchoring individual cuttings directly to the seabed.
The Posidonia oceanica cuttings selected for transplanting have two different roots (rhizomes), depending on the type of technique to be used.
In fact, for the new method, plants with plagiotrophic rhizome, i.e., which has a horizontal growth, were collected and are ideal for attachment using 2/3 stakes (cuttings with orthotropic rhizome, which grows vertically instead and is ideal for insertion between the mesh of the nets, having a “V” shape, are used instead for the bio mats technique).

Natural materials for more “eco” transplantation

The use of two different techniques at the same site offers an important scientific opportunity in that it will allow experimentation and evaluation of which technique provides the best results under the same environmental conditions, improving anchoring methods for Posidonia transplants, one of the most complex aspects of these interventions.
In this specific case, 12 of the 90 square meters involving bio mats will be covered only with coconut fiber nets, thus not coupled with wire mesh as usual.
Although the methodology is the same, using only the natural material could lead to different, and even better, results.
The site will be monitored for 3 years starting in July 2024 by researchers from the University of Genoa, with the aim of collecting data useful for scientific research on the topic of Posidonia oceanica reforestation, assessing the conditions of transplantation, new seedlings and biodiversity, as well as the restoration of ecosystem services associated with the habitat.