The Bassin d’Arcachon is home to two species of seagrass. Eelgrass (Zostera marina), which is mainly found in the channels and the Dwarf eelgrass (Nanozostera noltii), which forms vast meadows on the mudflats. It is throught that the Bassin d’Arcachon is home to the largest Dwarf eelgrass meadow in Europe.
Context.
Within the Bassin d’Arcachon 44% of the Nanozostera noltii and 85% of the Zostera marina disappeared between 1989 and 2019. Its restoration is one of the major objectives included in the Parc naturel marin du Bassin d’Arcachon‘s management plan (2017-2032).
Vision.
The management plan’s vision is for the “Restauration des herbiers à des surfaces et fonctions équivalentes à celles du début des années 2000″ (restoration of the meadows to the surface area and function equivalent of the early 2000s) which equates to a restoration target of approximately 1920ha of Nanozostera noltii and 50ha of Zostera marina.
Every year since 2021 the Parc naturel marin du Bassin d’Arcachon (PNMBA) calls for volunteers in early summer to participate in Nanozostera noltii seed collection. In 2021, 87 volunteers participated, 120 the following year,145 in 2023 and 180 in 2024.
The PNMBA began Nanozostera noltii transplants in collaboration with The Fieldwork Company in 2022, and since 2023 has been collaborating with The Seagrass Consortium to help scale this work. The REST-COAST project is also working with the PNMBA to try to reduce some of the hydrodynamic pressures on the remaining meadows.
The PNMBA is hosting the 2nd European Seagrass Restoration Workshop (7th-11th April 2025) which is being organised by The Seagrass Consortium.
Contact
Location
Parc naturel marin du Bassin d’Arcachon, 4 Rue Copernic, 33470 Le Teich, France