PROJECT INFO
Seaweeds are a vital part of coastal marine ecosystems, providing food, shelter and foraging habitat for many species. They also maintain inshore productivity and contribute substantially to nutrient and carbon cycling. In South Georgia, seaweeds constitute a huge proportion of the island’s unique marine biodiversity. Many species there exist on the edge of their distributional range, being susceptible to environmental change. There is also the potential for non-native species to become established in coastal waters, exacerbating the effects of climate change.
The South Georgia Big Seaweed Search was launched in 2022 to collect long-term monitoring data on seaweed diversity and distribution.
WHAT IS IT ABOUT?
Studying seaweed during our travels to South Georgia enables us to collect valuable monitoring data in a highly inaccessible region. This data will support the future management and conservation of the island’s unique and important marine environment.
HOW CAN WE HELP?
SEASON UPDATE
PROJECT IMPACT
Observations from this project and additional research by the project scientists has led to new knowledge on the diversity and distribution of South Georgia seaweeds.
This information has been used to update background information on coastal marine benthic flora in the latest version of the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Marine Protected Area Management Plan.
PROJECT PARTNERS
The South Georgia Big Seaweed Search is part of the project "Biodiversity discovery and the future of South Georgia's seaweed habitats" led by the Natural History Museum, London, with support from the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, in partnership with the following organisations: South Atlantic Environmental Research Institute (SAERI), Stanley, Falkland Islands; Shallow Marine Surveys Group (SMSG), Stanley, Falkland Islands; British Antarctic Survey (BAS), Cambridge, UK; Tritonia Scientific Ltd., Oban, UK.
