About this Research Topic

Background

Seagrasses are flowering marine plants that evolved from terrestrial ancestors about 100 million years ago. They spread to cover many shallow marine systems on all continents of the world, except Antarctica. Though seagrasses are simultaneously recognized as a model marine vegetation community and critical coastal marine and fisheries habitat, many vulnerable, threatened, and endangered seagrass species and subpopulations remain a black box when it comes to our understanding of basic taxonomy, biology, and biogeographical trends. Increasing global and climate changes are known to significantly alter and destroy seagrass meadows. Many researchers fear this is having a catastrophic impact on global seagrass conservation. Advancement in international collaborations, technological research and development and growth of socio-cultural networks are rapidly improving global reconnaissance and capabilities for recovery following loss. There is an urgent need to collate and highlight research, reviews, policy, and opinions aimed at advancing global seagrass species survival.

The IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) is a science-based network of thousands of volunteer experts from almost every country in the world, all working together toward achieving the vision of a just world that values and conserves nature through positive action to both prevent loss and aid in the recovery of the diversity of life on earth. The commission publishes the ‘barometer of life’, which is statistically documenting an overall decline of global biodiversity as we advance through the sixth great mass extinction event in world history. The IUCN has developed a species conservation cycle framework (Assess, Plan, Act) to ‘Reverse the Red’ and document progress in species conservation and restoration. Importantly, the IUCN recognizes indigenous knowledge and localized socio-ecological conditions may have implications for extinction risk at regional and global levels. By reaching out to our broad membership of global seagrass researchers and organizations, the IUCN SSC Seagrass Species Group (SSG) aims to collect and share important taxonomic and biogeographical information and highlighting both urgent threats and opportunities. Our goal is to compile an open access collection of the most relevant research advancing outcomes for data deficient, vulnerable, threatened, and endangered seagrass species.

This research topic solicits diverse global experts for contributions of novel, local, indigenous, and other current knowledge or reviews relevant to the conservation of data deficient, vulnerable, threatened, and endangered seagrasses. The editorial team encourages the submission of high-quality short communications, research articles, reviews, and other manuscripts detailing critical advancements in global seagrass conservation science. Manuscript submissions may detail any range of scientific topics, including taxonomy, applied field and laboratory research and development, habitat mapping, metadata analyses, and/or conservation or restoration policy, socio-ecological insights and project planning and engineering and design case studies. The primary focus or results and discussions of the paper should minimally synthesize or advance our knowledge of seagrass species at risk and potential or tested methods for reducing extinction risk into an uncertain future. The editors encourage authors from developing countries or other underrepresented countries and communities to submit their manuscripts for inclusion.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

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Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Data Report
• Editorial
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: IUCN, bioregion, Red-List, Green-List, extinction, risk, data-deficient

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.

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