SUVA, Aug. 13 (Xinhua) -- Seagrass in the natural ecosystem in Fiji plays a vital role in the production of a food chain for conservation and protection of marine life to deal with climate change, a Fijian minister said on Thursday.
According to a government statement, while launching a seagrass nursery and a conservation site at Maui Bay in Sigatoka of Nadroga, one of Fiji's provinces on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, Fiji's Minister for Waterways, Environment and Agriculture Mahendra Reddy said that seagrass played a vital role in the food chain for marine life and helped in sedimentation retention and prevents coastal erosion.
Seagrass has enriched biodiversity and provides one of the most highly productive ecosystems in the world as these meadows provide shelter and food to an incredibly diverse species of marine life.
"A wide range of vertebrate and invertebrate species organisms rely on seagrass patches for their nursing grounds determining the overall health of the coastal ecosystem," Reddy said.
He said while seagrass provides significant ecosystem services to the marine ecosystem, human behavior such as improper solid waste disposal and reclamation of land for coastal development, common in Fiji, was threatening its existence.
Seagrass ecosystems are threatened by climate change from thermal pollution, ocean acidification, increased frequency of storms, and changes in water flow, Reddy added.
The minister also stressed the importance of the Public-Private Partnership for the conservation and protection of Fiji's marine eco-system. Enditem
