Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units Program: Louisiana
Education, Research and Technical Assistance for Managing Our Natural Resources

Seagrass provide critical ecosystem services, and coastal protection; yet globally, they are declining. In many regions, we lack mechanistic knowledge on the drivers and stressors impacting seagrass sustainability. Understanding drivers of seagrass survival, growth and resilience is critical to informing management and conservation plans. In Guam, an island in the Pacific, seagrass provides critical habitat, and contributes to coastal resilience, but managers have little information to help manage, restore and conserve this important habitat. Working with the US Naval Base, Guam Department of Agriculture, and across several USGS science centers and Coop Units, we are working to gain a better understanding of seagrass dynamics around Guam. Outcomes from this work will feed directly into the Naval Base Guam, and NAVFAC of the regions natural resource implementation plan, and will inform restoration initiatives across Guam.