8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

1/9

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34320399

'Underwater Christmas trees' help restore key habitat

By Mark KinverEnvironment reporter BB! "ews

• 24 #ecember 20$%

 

• &rom the section'cience ( Environment

)ma*e copyri*ht +ohn ,rnb)ma*e caption ,hecraywee 1hyospora comosa pays a centra roe

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34320399http://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environmenthttp://www.bbc.com/news/science_and_environmenthttp://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-34320399

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

2/9

in the marine ecosystem on the shaow rees aron'yney

Australian researchers are encouraging people

to buy "underwater Christmas trees" to help

restore seaweed that suddenly disappeared in

the 1980s.

1oor water aity was bame or the oss o

craywee rom 43 mies 50km o coastine aron

'yney.

Bt as the water aity has improve scientists are

now repantin* the seawee that provies a vita

habitat an oo or marine ie.

'cientists e6pect the repante seawee to

recoonise the shaow rocky rees.

7,hese orests o seawee are very important not

ony becase they provie important habitats an

oo or many itte creatres some o which are

commerciay very important they can aso

seester a si*ni8cant amont o carbon7 e6paine

proect eaer Eeie Marinei a senior research

associate at the ;niversity o "ew 'oth

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

3/9

)ma*e copyri*ht +ohn ,rnb)ma*ecaption=esearchers se meta mesh to attach thecraywee to the rees

>e ae that the species Phyllospora

comosa was abnant in the area?s temperatewaters bt then isappeare seny in the eary

$9@0s.

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

4/9

7At that time the sewa*e was not very we treate

an it was pmpe ri*ht onto the coast an the

water aity was reay ba7 sai #r Marinei.

7>owever in the eary ?90s the sewa*e treatment

improve an the water aity improve

si*ni8canty.7

1enti se6

>e e6paine that research s**este that the

seawee?s osprin* i not ike poor water aityso there was a stron* correation between the poor

water aity at that time an the isappearance o

these vast nerwater orests.

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

5/9

)ma*e copyri*ht +ohn ,rnb)ma*e caption ,heproect is hepin* to restore ie to areas that ha ostits craywee an the species that epene on theseawee

As the seawee ha isappeare it was necessary

to reintroce it as part o a restoration proect.

7

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

6/9

pants both mae an emae7 #r Marinei to BB!

"ews.

7"ot ony i they srvive bt they aso reproce

very we - they basicay ha a ot o se6. e sai the nerwater orests that be*an with the

repantin* o the pants now stretch a cope

hnre o metres away rom the ori*ina repantin*

ocation.

 ,he rests o the proect to ate have been very

encora*in* he ae an the retrn o the

craywee has seen a retrn o animas that orm an

important ink in the ecosystem?s oo chain.

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

7/9

)ma*e copyri*ht +ohn ,rnb)ma*e caption ,he7orest7 spports many species incin* thethreebar porcpine 8sh...

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

8/9

)ma*e copyri*ht +ohn ,rnb)ma*e caption...anthe sweet ceratosoma

7)t is sti a itte too eary to see the estabishment o 

obster popations bt the smaer animas that

provie oo or them have retrne7 #r Marinei

sai.

 ,he waters aon* the 'yney coastine are very

popar with peope who ive in the area an se the

8/20/2019 Bbc Conservation

9/9

waters or recreation sch as ivers 8shermen an

srers.

71eope care abot their beaches an the water

environment however most peope o not reaise

that seawee are important7 #r Marinei observe.

)n orer to e6pan an acceerate the repantin*

proect his team has set p acrowdfunding

website to raise money as we as awareness o

their work.

>e s**este: 71eope can *o onto the website an

by an nerwater !hristmas tree either or

themseves or or amiy an riens.7

http://www.pozible.com/project/202503http://www.pozible.com/project/202503http://www.pozible.com/project/202503http://www.pozible.com/project/202503