Toward Effective Nationwide Seagrass Data Collection: Insights from a Hasanuddin University Study

MAKASSAR, Indonesia, June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Seagrass meadows are crucial for biodiversity, food security, and climate mitigation, but are experiencing significant global decline due to anthropogenic activities. Effective protection requires standardized data gathering and mapping. Yet, in Indonesia, data collection is fragmented due to inconsistent methodologies and weak coordination. As a result, datasets remain fragmented, hindering mapping efforts and increasing redundancy.

Now, however, researchers from Indonesia, including Prof. Rohani Ambo-Rappe from Hasanuddin University, in collaboration with partner institutions across the country, set out to address this challenge. Their study was made available on October 18, 2025, and published in Volume 271 of Ocean and Coastal Management journal on January 1, 2026. Elaborating on the approach, Prof. Ambo-Rappe says, "We wanted to see if this new, multi-stakeholder collaboration framework could help resolve the issues regarding persistent variability, using Indonesia as a case study."

The framework primarily addresses challenges related to limited financial support and a lack of standardized field and mapping data. Four key strategies were developed: establishing a national partnership for seagrass mapping, standardizing data collection guidelines, identifying data collectors through surveys, and conducting capacity-building workshops to train collectors in seagrass data collection and carbon estimation. This enabled a unified, high-quality dataset suitable for nationwide mapping and improved stakeholder coordination.

The study supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly Goal 14 (Life Below Water), which calls for sustainable management and protection of marine and coastal ecosystems. It also contributes to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) and SDG 13 (Climate Action) by promoting sustainable food systems and mitigating climate change through better blue carbon ecosystem monitoring. Prof. Ambo-Rappe adds, "The proposed framework could be used as a practical model for other coastal and archipelagic nations facing similar challenges in fragmented seagrass data, limited coordination, and large-scale ecosystem monitoring."

In the long run, this work is not only important for ecosystem conservation, but also for supporting emission reduction, food security, and biodiversity.

Reference
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ocecoaman.2025.107968

Media contact:
Name: Prof. Rohani Ambo-Rappe
Phone: +62 411 584200
Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Hasanuddin University