On Wednesday, June 26, One Ocean Foundation carried out a new marine reforestation effort as part of the Blue Forest project. The chosen site for this intervention, the second within the Portofino Marine Protected Area and the third since the project began, is located in the Punta Pedale area.

Here, the Posidonia oceanica meadow is partially damaged due to a combination of anthropogenic impacts and natural factors, including uncontrolled anchoring, especially during the summer season, and the consequences of severe winter storms, which have been increasingly frequent in recent years due to climate change. These conditions necessitate an ecological restoration intervention to restore the marine ecosystem and promote the return of biodiversity.

The reforestation effort covers an area of seabed of 100 square meters, with 10 coconut fiber mats upon which approximately 2000-2500 Posidonia oceanica seedlings are planted. These seedlings have been collected and selected from naturally occurring specimens that were eradicated from the meadow.

The Blue Forest project, supported by high-level technical and scientific partners such as DiSTAV of the University of Genoa and I.S.S.D., will monitor the site's conditions every three months starting from September 2024. This monitoring activity will enable the collection of crucial scientific data and assessment of the reforestation intervention's effectiveness.

To learn more about the project and ongoing activities, visit the dedicated webpage at https://www.1ocean.org/posidonia/blue-forest