Within the global framework of the UN's 30x30 Agenda and the growing emphasis on protecting blue carbon ecosystems, One Ocean Foundation is committed to its mission of ocean preservation. The Foundation, as part of this dedication, has chosen to invest in a project focused on the protection and restoration of marine forests, crucial components of our blue natural capital.

Our commitment to the Blue Forest project is to promote the activation of multiple reforestation projects worldwide, alongside research programs and educational activities to study and raise awareness on the importance of these ecosystems, through an international network of high-level collaborations with universities, NGOs, institutions and authorities committed to the protection of marine forests.

Seagrass grow along coastlines worldwide. They are plants that have evolved adaptations to the aquatic environment, forming vast marine forests known as seagrass beds. These ecosystems, crucial for biodiversity, offer numerous benefits to coastal communities. Considered to be among the most productive ecosystems in the world, they are classified internationally as "blue carbon ecosystems," adept at sequestering organic carbon from the atmosphere, aiding in the fight against climate change.

Posidonia oceanica is an endemic marine plant found exclusively in the Mediterranean Sea with an extraordinary environmental value. It forms extensive underwater meadows of great ecological importance: they protect the coast from erosion, stabilise the seabed, create a biodiversity hotspot, provide shelter and food for many marine species, capture carbon dioxide and produce oxygen through photosynthesis.

About 80% of coastal oxygen production comes from this plant, which is why it is also called the "lung of the Mediterranean Sea".

Posidonia oceanica meadows are part of the so-called blue carbon ecosystems and play an important role as a natural carbon sink, capturing and storing large amounts of CO2 from the atmosphere within the matte – rhizomes and roots of old plants trapped in the sediments.

Italy hosts a large area of Posidonia oceanica meadows along its coasts. However, these ecosystems are heavily impacted by coastal anthropogenic activities such as fish trawling and anchoring, which, combined with the slow growth rate of the plant (1-2 cm/year), cause extensive damage not only to the meadow itself but to the entire marine ecosystem and the associated biodiversity.

Indeed, Posidonia oceanica meadows constitute a priority habitat that hosts many marine organisms, providing them with shelter, food, and an area to reproduce and grow.

Over 350 different species are found within the meadows: marine invertebrates, juveniles of fish, mollusks, crustaceans, and small symbiont organisms.

The documentary "Posidonia oceanica – Restoring Mediterranean Seagrass" provides a comprehensive exploration of the entire restoration process and highlights the significance of this species, investigating the ecological aspects, examining the impacts this plant faces, and offering potential solutions for its preservation and protection.

A dive with researchers and scuba operators through the reforestation process to discover what it really means to restore a marine habitat.

Produced by One Ocean Foundation and directed by Fabio Benelli, marine biologist and underwater filmmaker, the documentary will be available in 2024.