Taipei, April 23 (CNA) Conservationists working to restore native seagrass habitats in Taiwan achieved a milestone on Earth Day on Tuesday by planting 1,000 seeds in a temporary propagation site, with plans to later transplant them to restoration areas.
The seeds were collected in two stages earlier this month from seagrass beds near Haikou Port in the southernmost county of Pingtung, where the habitat is considered the largest of its kind around Taiwan, according to the Taiwan Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA).
They will eventually be used to expand seagrass coverage in the Fushan Fisheries Resources Conservation Area in southeastern Taitung County and repair damaged sections of the Haikou seagrass bed.
The restoration initiative is a collaboration between the SPCA, the Eastern Fishery Research Center of the Fisheries Research Institute, and the Taitung District Fishermen's Association.
Shih Yi-ju (施薏茹), a SPCA divisional deputy director, told CNA on Wednesday that the seagrass bed near the port covers about nine hectares and has remained relatively stable, making it a key source for seed collection.
The group is focused on restoring Thalassia hemprichii (Pacific turtlegrass), a species that supports marine biodiversity and serves as food for sea turtles and dugongs, Shih said.
