Blue Carbon in the Mediterranean: SeaForest Event Held in Milan During One Ocean Week
Milan, May 23, 2025 – At the evocative One Ocean Dome in Piazza XXIV Maggio, the event "Blue Carbon Projects in the Mediterranean – From Pilot Initiatives to Large-Scale Climate Action" brought together experts, researchers, and institutional stakeholders committed to the conservation of Posidonia oceanica meadows—one of the most strategic marine ecosystems in the fight against climate change.
Posidonia oceanica: a natural ally under threat: the Mediterranean Sea, a semi-enclosed basin highly vulnerable to climate change, is warming at twice the global average rate. In this context, Posidonia oceanica meadows represent an essential ecological and climate asset: they can absorb up to 1,500 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent per hectare and host around 20% of Mediterranean marine species. Yet over the past 50 years, the region has lost 29% of these meadows, making coordinated action more urgent than ever.
From pilot projects to the challenge of scale: projects like SeaForest LIFE, active in the National Parks of La Maddalena, Asinara, and Cilento, and Blue Forest, carried out in Cala di Volpe (Sardinia), stand as successful examples of marine restoration and conservation. However, the field still lacks the "critical mass" needed to generate large-scale impact.
A key to scaling up lies in the certification of carbon credits linked to Posidonia meadows. Scientific methodologies now exist to credibly quantify avoided and removed emissions through meadow restoration—such as the method developed by the Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change (CMCC) and the University of Tuscia—but none have yet been officially recognized by leading international or national standards.
A strategic dialogue between research, institutions, and standards: the event featured a roundtable moderated by Jan Pachner (One Ocean Foundation) and Andrea Maggiani (Carbonsink), with contributions from prominent voices including Ian Short (Social Carbon), Saverio Maluccio (CREA), and representatives from research institutions such as CMCC and the Universities of Genoa, Sassari, and Tuscia.
Key topics of discussion included: the official recognition of avoidance/removal methodologies; current scientific and operational gaps; the identification of reliable monitoring metrics for credibility and replicability; the need for common guidelines to integrate Posidonia into voluntary carbon and biodiversity markets.
A collaborative ecosystem for marine conservation: speakers from D.R.E.Am. Italia and the Asinara National Park shared insights from the SeaForest project, while Oceancy presented its “Save the Wave” initiative in the Tremiti Islands. The One Ocean Foundation highlighted progress on its Blue Forest project in partnership with academic institutions, including researchers from the Universities of Genoa and Sassari. The event underscored the urgency of building an operational alliance between science, climate finance, and institutions, capable of turning underwater meadows into recognized and remunerated tools for climate mitigation.
Posidonia oceanica: Positive Signs of Growth in the Marine Protected Area of Baia degli Infreschi
Monitoring activities are successfully continuing at the experimental site for the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows damaged by anchoring, established within the framework of the project in the Marine Protected Area of Baia degli Infreschi, in the Cilento region (Southern Italy).
Researchers from ISPRA, with operational support from the Underwater Unit of the Carabinieri in Naples, are observing a significant increase in the rooting success of transplanted posidonia cuttings in the intervention area. This encouraging result supports the effectiveness of the “re-stitching” technique being tested by the project, which has already shown promising outcomes in other pilot areas such as the Marine Protected Area of Asinara and the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park, where an 80–90% survival rate of the transplanted shoots has been recorded.
This initiative is part of the project’s broader strategy of active marine ecosystem restoration, aiming to recover key habitats for biodiversity and enhance natural carbon sinks for climate change mitigation.
Monitoring of Posidonia oceanica Meadow Mat Restorations
On March 31st and April 1st, 2025, ISPRA researchers, with the support of staff from the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park, carried out monitoring activities on the experimental restorations of Posidonia oceanica meadow mats.
The intervention, conducted as part of Action C5 of the SeaForest LIFE project, focused on the cuttings transplanted in November 2023 and April 2024, using coconut fiber mats placed on the seabed.
The monitoring results are extremely positive: a 90% survival rate of the transplanted cuttings was recorded, confirming the effectiveness of the experimental restoration technique and representing a significant step forward in the protection and recovery of sensitive marine habitats.
This initiative is part of concrete actions aimed at conserving the Park's underwater ecosystems and combating the loss of marine biodiversity.
📺 To learn more, watch the feature by Teleregione Live – Sardegna:
👉 LINK: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R92kPVO7lpg
event program July 24, 2020
The program is defined!!!
We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, July 24, for a day organized by the Seaforest LIFE project: an opportunity for exchange to raise awareness about sustainable methods and good management practices for Beach Seagrass!
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Don't miss it, REGISTER HERE: https://forms.gle/D6bTxwEEz9UfdH3K8
👉Event organized at the headquarters of the 'National Park Authority of Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni
👉Also available online link: https://meet.google.com/jjn-zhjs-rzk
SEAFOREST EVENT, Wednesday, July 24, 2024
SAVE THE DATE !!! On Wednesdy, July 24, 2024, a National Workshop on the topic of management of beached Posidonia oceanica will be held at the Cilento Vallo Diano and Alburni National Park in Castellabate at Villa Matarazzo. The title of the event is "Beached Posidonia, sustainable methods for active management" . The event will be attended by beneficiaries of the LIFE SeaForest project, but also by public institutions, scientific research, and the business world, which in various capacities have developed experiences on this issue. Follow the news on the website and Facebook page, the final program will be published in the coming days.
