The Magic of Seagrass Meadows

Dear readers,

The largest organism on Earth is a meadow – a meadow beneath the sea. It lies in Shark Bay, Australia, and covers more than 200 square kilometres, about the size of 28,000 football pitches. Did you know that? We certainly didn’t.

Seagrass meadows are astonishing things: they are masters at storing carbon, hotspots of biodiversity, nurseries and food sources for thousands of species. One day, they may even provide new antibiotics. And yet about 30 percent of them have already been destroyed, and every year there are fewer of them.

All over the world, however, pioneers are working to protect them, study them, use them in economically sustainable ways and restore them to their full splendour. If that isn’t a “Good Impact” topic, what is?

Our proposal also won over the Andrea von Braun Foundation in Munich, which has generously agreed to support this project. Our heartfelt thanks for this second grant, following our major issue on peatlands in 2024. We have now set off on our journey to explore the world of seagrass meadows – and we’re utterly enchanted.

— Anja Dilk, editor

Diving in

“Um, okay?” That was my reaction when, in 2025, our editorial team discussed dedicating a “Good Impact” issue to seagrass. Seagrass? Isn’t that something like algae or seaweed? How ignorant I was.

These underwater meadows are the green lungs of the ocean. I had no idea. Then I travelled to the Baltic Sea and joined the volunteer seagrass divers of Seagrass Conservation. I witnessed their devotion to every single blade of seagrass. I saw people spending their free time in chilly waters, carefully sorting the plants blade by blade to help preserve habitats for wildlife beneath the surface and for people on land. I found it deeply moving.

I understood the importance of seagrass in theory, but it was this hands-on commitment at such a small scale that made me truly appreciate it. Today, I’m a seagrass meadow enthusiast. You can read what I experienced in Lübeck Bay on page 42.

— Bianca Kriel, editor

___________

This text was translated by our partner kompreno — created with the support of various AI models, then reviewed and refined by their editorial team. kompreno curates the world’s best journalism from over 30 international outlets — including The Atlantic,  Le Monde, and Die Zeit — and makes it available in five languages.