FN Archimer Export Format PT J TI Seagrass ecosystems of the Pacific Island Countries and Territories: A global bright spot BT AF McKenzie, Len J. Yoshida, Rudi L. Aini, John W. Andréfouet, Serge Colin, Patrick L. Cullen-Unsworth, Leanne C. Hughes, Alec T. Payri, Claude E. Rota, Manibua Shaw, Christina Skelton, Posa A. Tsuda, Roy T. Vuki, Veikila C. Unsworth, Richard K.F. AS 1:1,2;2:1,3;3:4;4:5;5:6;6:7,8;7:9;8:5;9:10;10:11;11:12;12:13;13:14;14:8,15; FF 1:;2:;3:;4:;5:;6:;7:;8:;9:;10:;11:;12:;13:;14:; C1 Centre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research (TropWATER), James Cook University, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia Seagrass-Watch, Cairns, Qld 4870, Australia SeagrassFutures Fiji, Ma'afu St, Suva, Fiji Ailan Awareness, Kaselok, New Ireland Province, Papua New Guinea UMR-9220 ENTROPIE (Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Université de la Réunion, Ifremer, CNRS, Université de la Nouvelle-Calédonie), 101, promenade Roger-Laroque Anse Vata, BP A5, 98848 Nouméa, New Caledonia Coral Reef Research Foundation, P.O. Box 1765, Koror 96940, Palau Sustainable Places Research Institute, Cardiff University, 33 Park Place, Cardiff CF10 3BA, UK Project Seagrass, PO Box 412, Bridgend CF31 9RL, UK Wildlife Conservation Society, Munda, Western Province, Solomon Islands Ministry of Fisheries and Marine Resources Development, Tarawa, Kiribati Vanuatu Environmental Science Society, PO Box 1630, Port Vila, Vanuatu Oceania Research Development Associates, Townsville, Qld, Australia. Natural Sciences-Botany, Bernice P. Bishop Museum, 1525 Bernice Street, Honolulu, HI 96817-2704, USA Oceania Environment Consultants, PO Box 5214, UOG Station, Mangilao 96923, Guam Seagrass Ecosystem Research Group, College of Science, Swansea University, SA2 8PP, UK C2 UNIV JAMES COOK, AUSTRALIA SEAGRASS WATCH, AUSTRALIA SEAGRASS FUTURES, FIJI AILAN AWARENESS, PAPUA NEW GUINEA IRD, FRANCE CORAL REEF RESEARCH FND, PALAU UNIV CARDIFF, UK PROJECT SEAGRASS, UK WILDLIFE CONSERVAT SOC, SOLOMON ISLANDS MINIST FISHERIES MARINE RESOURCES DEVELOP, KIRIBATI VANUATU ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE SOC, VANUATU ORDA, AUSTRALIA NATURAL SCIENCES-BOTANY, USA OCEANIA ENVIRONMENT CONSULT, USA UNIV SWANSEA, UK UM ENTROPIE IN WOS Cotutelle UMR copubli-europe copubli-int-hors-europe copubli-sud IF 7.001 TC 16 UR https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00689/80148/83210.kml https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00689/80148/83211.pdf https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00689/80148/83212.docx https://archimer.ifremer.fr/doc/00689/80148/83213.xlsx LA English DT Article DE ;Seagrass;Ecosystem services;Habitats;Threats;Resilience;Management;DPSIR AB Seagrass ecosystems exist throughout Pacific Island Countries and Territories (PICTs). Despite this area covering nearly 8% of the global ocean, information on seagrass distribution, biogeography, and status remains largely absent from the scientific literature. We confirm 16 seagrass species occur across 17 of the 22 PICTs with the highest number in Melanesia, followed by Micronesia and Polynesia respectively. The greatest diversity of seagrass occurs in Papua New Guinea (13 species), and attenuates eastward across the Pacific to two species in French Polynesia. We conservatively estimate seagrass extent to be 1446.2 km2, with the greatest extent (84%) in Melanesia. We find seagrass condition in 65% of PICTs increasing or displaying no discernible trend since records began. Marine conservation across the region overwhelmingly focuses on coral reefs, with seagrass ecosystems marginalised in conservation legislation and policy. Traditional knowledge is playing a greater role in managing local seagrass resources and these approaches are having greater success than contemporary conservation approaches. In a world where the future of seagrass ecosystems is looking progressively dire, the Pacific Islands appears as a global bright spot, where pressures remain relatively low and seagrass more resilient. PY 2021 PD JUL SO Marine Pollution Bulletin SN 0025-326X PU Elsevier BV VL 167 UT 000655696200004 DI 10.1016/j.marpolbul.2021.112308 ID 80148 ER EF