The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) region is one of the world’s most species-rich areas for seagrass. Seagrass meadows form remarkable and diverse habitats that provide a wide range of ecosystem services. Though they often receive little attention, seagrass meadows play a critical role for marine life and people: they provide nursery and feeding grounds for a wide range of marine animals; play a vital role in providing local food security; protect coastlines from erosion and store carbon.

In the context of global change, obtaining an overall understanding of their distribution, health, trends and functional roles is key to providing early warnings of changes in their productivity or indications of their decline.