Italian island's transplanted seagrass shows ecosystem recovery after 17 years

A seagrass meadow transplanted off the Italian island of Ischia in 2009 is offering evidence of what restoration can look like over the long term. 17 years later, scientists have returned to the site and found encouraging signs that parts of the restored Posidonia oceanica meadow are developing into a functioning ecosystem. The latest monitoring campaign suggests that successful restoration is about more than keeping transplanted plants alive. A restored meadow may gradually regain ecological functions. The findings are valuable because long-term monitoring of Mediterranean seagrass restoration remains uncommon, leaving major questions about what happens after the first few years of a project.Story of Ischia seagrass meadow that was transplanted off the Italian islandThe meadow was transplanted in 2009 in the waters of the Regno di Nettuno Marine Protected Area, off Ischia.