Blue Forest: 93% survival rate recorded for Posidonia oceanica cuttings in Paraggi

Three years after the launch of the Blue Forest project in Paraggi, within the Portofino Marine Protected Area, approximately 93% of the transplanted Posidonia oceanica cuttings have survived, according to the project’s sixth and final monitoring survey conducted by the University of Genoa.

The survey, carried out by Chiara Robello, PhD at the University of Genoa, confirms the plants’ strong response to the restoration site. The high survival rate indicates that the transplanted plants have successfully moved beyond the initial establishment phase and are now progressing towards long-term integration within the surrounding seagrass meadow.

Three years of monitoring: from transplantation to establishment

Launched in 2023, the Blue Forest intervention in Paraggi was one of One Ocean Foundation’s first Posidonia oceanica restoration sites. Over the course of six monitoring surveys, researchers followed the condition of the restoration structures, the stability of the transplanted cuttings, and their ability to survive and establish on the seabed.

The latest survey found that the biodegradable mats used for the intervention remain firmly anchored to the seabed. Some of the restored patches are now no longer clearly distinguishable from the surrounding meadow, having become progressively integrated into the natural seagrass habitat. Researchers also recorded several marine species around the restoration structures, including a Mediterranean moray eel (Muraena helena), a group of salema (Sarpa salpa), and a juvenile Pinna rudis.

These observations do not, on their own, provide a direct measure of restoration success. They do, however, offer encouraging evidence of the progressive integration of the restored areas into the surrounding ecosystem and their use by other marine organisms.

Restoration is a long-term scientific process

The results from Paraggi highlight a central principle of One Ocean Foundation’s approach to marine restoration: planting is only the beginning. Understanding whether a restoration intervention succeeds requires long-term observation, monitoring and scientific research.

Blue Forest in Paraggi was developed in collaboration with technical and scientific partners, including I.S.S.D. and the University of Genoa, and also supported a PhD research programme.

Long-term research is essential to understand which environmental and biological conditions can support the successful establishment of Posidonia oceanica. The knowledge generated through projects such as Blue Forest can help strengthen the scientific basis for future marine ecosystem restoration and conservation efforts.