Zanzibar’s seagrass meadows are highly productive shallow-water habitats, linking marine biodiversity, carbon storage with the people who depend on the coast.

They provide feeding and nursery habitat for marine life, help hold sediments in place, and support productive fishing and harvesting grounds. For dugongs/ turtles, seagrass is essential feeding habitat; for local communities, the same shallow waters support seaweed farmers, mollusc pickers and fishers. OCEAN LAB brings these connections together through seagrass monitoring, dugong habitat research and a focus on the livelihoods linked to Zanzibar’s shallow coastal ecosystems.

A key part of our research is exploring how seaweed farming and natural seagrass meadows can coexist without negatively affecting either. Seaweed cultivation provides an important livelihood for coastal communities, but farm placement, shading, structures and changes in local water conditions may influence neighbouring seagrass habitats. We aim to investigate these interactions through field observations, habitat monitoring and engagement with seaweed farmers, identifying suitable locations and practical farming approaches that support production while protecting seagrass health.

Our objective is to develop evidence-based guidance that helps maintain productive seaweed farms alongside healthy seagrass meadows, supporting both coastal livelihoods and the ecosystems on which they depend.