Why Protecting Seagrass Matters Just as Much as Coral Reefs

When most people think about marine conservation, they often picture coral reefs and the creatures associated with them. Even here at MCP, our long-term reef monitoring has been tracking these vibrant underwater cities since 2017. But if you only look at the reef, you may be missing a massive part of the picture…

Our latest report, authored by our Research Intern, Solveig Enoksen, reveals exactly why we need to widen our lens. Titled Beyond the Reef: Habitat-Based Surveys of Fish and Invertebrate Communities in Seagrass-Reef Seascapes, this project surveyed both the seagrass meadows adjacent to some of our local Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and the “interface” zones where seagrass and reef habitats meet during both the 2020 and 2025 survey periods.

The results from three of our survey sites—Malatapay, Lutoban North, and Dalakit—confirm something vital: if we only monitor reefs, we are blind to entire communities thriving right next door.

Passing the Torch: A Longitudinal Study

If this research sounds familiar, it’s because it builds directly on historical baselines. Back in 2019, one of our current Science Officers, Naomi Westlake, stood exactly where Solveig stands now—surveying these very same sites as a Research Intern and producing a final thesis for her Bachelor’s degree. That early dataset sparked a deep passion for research that contributes to real marine conservation, driving her to pursue a Research Master’s degree.

Today, Naomi is back at MCP full-time, having revived the Research Internship Programme last year and now managing our research projects and Research Interns. Solveig’s continuation of this work has been a full-circle moment for the team, demonstrating that long-term monitoring isn’t just about supporting local communities—it can also be a way of mentoring the next generation of marine scientists.

The Strongest Driver: Habitat Type

When analysing our fish and invertebrate datasets, we wanted to see what structured these communities the most. Was it the specific site, or was it the habitat type?

The answer was clear: habitat type is the single strongest factor shaping both fish and invertebrate communities. In fact, for fish assemblages, habitat type explained a staggering 32% of the variation, compared to just 11% explained by the geographic site.

Seagrass habitats didn’t just look different; they hosted entirely unique biological signatures. Whilst the reef and interface zones were heavily dominated by hard-substrate grazers such as long-spined sea urchins (Diadema spp.), the seagrass meadows opened up a completely different ecological niche. Here, the community shifted towards soft-sediment specialists—predatory cone snails hunting in the sand, detritus-munching sea cucumbers turning over organic matter, and filter-feeding bivalves buried deep amongst the seagrass roots. It is a completely different functional world from the coral reef next door.

The Underwater Nurseries

One of the most exciting observations came from the shallow seagrass bed of Lutoban North. During one of our 2025 surveys, we recorded a single aggregation of approximately 800 rabbitfish fry swimming in and out of a seagrass transect. Even when we exclude this massive school to look at the broader average, the vast majority of fish recorded in the Lutoban North seagrass habitat belonged to the smallest size class (0–5 cm), providing undeniable local evidence of how critical these meadows are as juvenile nurseries.

But seagrass isn’t just a safe haven for babies—it is a vital habitat across all life stages. Throughout our surveys, we frequently spotted transient, commercially valuable hunters patrolling the blades, including fast-moving trevallies and rainbow runners. Most remarkably, our team observed a pair of huge adult longface emperors swimming slowly and closely together. Whilst these fish were initially presumed to be hunting, their size and synchronised behaviour suggest these giants may actually have been courting and preparing to breed.

By acting as both a protective refuge for early life stages and a critical sanctuary for spawning adults, these shallow meadows support fish species at both ends of their life cycles and complete a vital reproductive loop. This makes the ecosystem a direct lifeline for local coastal fisheries, sustaining the very stocks that local communities rely upon and safeguarding livelihoods long before these fish ever reach deeper water.

The Creatures of the Night

Our usual monitoring happens when the sun is up, but what happens when the reef goes to sleep? As part of this project, we also conducted exploratory night surveys for invertebrates in the Dalakit seagrass zone.

Under the cover of darkness, our surveyors recorded higher abundances and unique invertebrate taxa (such as coconut octopuses, moon snails, and bobtail squids) that remain completely hidden during the day. This means daytime-only monitoring may significantly underrepresent our nocturnal and cryptic fauna. It appears that the seagrass meadows may host an entirely different crew for the night shift!

What This Means for Conservation

Looking back at our historical data from 2020, we found that these broad habitat patterns have remained remarkably consistent over the past five years. Seagrass meadows and coral reefs function as an interconnected habitat mosaic.

However, many of our local, community-managed MPAs were historically established with boundaries that protect only the coral reefs, sometimes leaving the adjacent seagrass meadows entirely unprotected. For example, in Malatapay, the vital seagrass beds lie predominantly outside the official MPA boundaries.

If we want healthy coral reefs, we must also protect the coastal pantries and nurseries that support them. Moving forward, this report recommends that MCP implements periodic, targeted habitat-based surveys and more comprehensive mapping of these adjacent ecosystems. We also hope to use these data to collaborate with local government units and other stakeholders, encouraging the expansion of existing MPA boundaries so they legally encompass and protect these vital seagrass meadows alongside the coral reefs.

How You Can Help Protect Seagrass Meadows

Be a Conscious Consumer: Western markets and consumers hold enormous sway over global supply chains. Supporting sustainable, traceable seafood initiatives helps reduce the demand that drives destructive fishing practices, protecting fragile coastal nurseries like ours, even from afar.

Be a Citizen Scientist: Aside from volunteering with organizations such as MCP, If you are a diver or snorkeler you can use platforms such as iNaturalist to report sightings of rare or nocturnal species (such as bobtail squids or courting longface emperors) in shallow habitats. Your observations can provide invaluable data points.

Join Us as a Research Intern: If you are a student, graduate, or passionate conservationist looking to gain serious field experience, apply to join our Research Internship Programme. You can step directly into the shoes of Naomi and Solveig, collecting the very data that helps shape local environmental policy.

Share the Science: One of the biggest threats to seagrass is simply that it lacks the “star power” of coral reefs. Help us bridge the awareness gap by sharing Solveig’s report and our fieldwork updates with your own network, academic institution, or conservation group to put seagrass on the global radar.

Our oceans don’t stop where the coral reef ends—and neither should our conservation efforts. Every seagrass meadow protected today helps secure the future of our reefs, our fisheries, and the communities that depend on them.

Want to dive deeper into our findings? You can read the full report by Solveig Enoksen on our website, and don’t forget to follow our updates on Instagram and Facebook.