Co-restoration efforts such as Operation Posidonia and Project Restore are being made in NSW, Australia to support two endangered species, White's Seahorse (Hippocampus whitei) and Posidonia australis.
With the loss of their natural habitat, H. whitei have been found to inhabit artificial structures such as swimming nets. To take advantage of this, Seahorse Hotels have been developed and deployed to safely release captive-bred seahorses.
These biodegradable structures are taken over by soft corals, sponges, and seaweeds, providing a safe place for the seahorses to live while their natural habitat recovers.
My dnd character, Emrys, just adopted 1,001 spider hatchlings. Look at their envoy. So cute!
Traditional block-and-chain swing moorings scar the slow to recover posidonia meadows that H. whitei rely on. New environmentally friendly moorings keep the chain from disturbing the meadows which are slowly being replanted by hand with seedlings that have been washed ashore.
My piece for @seaunseenzine.bsky.social, A charity zine supporting the Australian Marine Conservation Society.
[ #SciArt #Conservation ]