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The Ocean Foundation's SeaGrass Grow Program
PADI is supporting The Ocean Foundation’s SeaGrass Grow Program that works to conserve vital blue carbon ecosystems.
What is Blue Carbon?
“Blue Carbon” refers to the carbon from the atmosphere that is sequestered through coastal vegetation and stored for very long periods of time in the sediments below.
As the trees grow they take the carbon from carbon dioxide and use it as the building blocks for their leaves, roots and branches. Once the leaves and older trees die they fall to the seafloor and take the stored carbon with them to be buried in the soil. This buried carbon is known as “blue carbon” because it is stored underwater in coastal ecosystems like mangrove forests, seagrass beds and salt marshes.
The Power of Seagrass & Mangroves
Seagrasses occupy 0.1% of the seafloor, yet are responsible for 11% of the organic carbon buried in the ocean, helping mitigate the effects of ocean acidification on our coral reefs. Blue carbon ecosystems keep our coral reefs healthy in another important way too; by providing the foundations of life in our oceans.
Creating Diversity
Seagrasses are found in meadows along the shore of every continent except Antarctica. A single acre of seagrass may support as many as 40,000 fish, and 50 million small invertebrates like crabs, oysters, and mussels.
Providing Refuge
Countless marine species, including sharks, use mangroves as nurseries during early life stages. Leaf detritus provides plenty of food for growing youngsters and, hidden in the thickets of the roots, safety from larger animals.
Supporting Humanity
Seagrass meadows supply 50% of the world’s fisheries, provide vital nutrition for close to 3 billion people and - together with mangroves - reduce flooding from storm surges and hurricanes by dissipating wave energy.
The Issues
Scientists estimate that we lose a seagrass meadow the size of a soccer field every 20 minutes.
If more action is not taken immediately to restore these vital habitats, most may be lost within 20 years.
While eco-conscious dive travel offers a multitude of benefits, carbon emissions associated with hospitality and air travel undoubtedly contribute to climate change.
If more action is not taken immediately to mitigate these emissions, we risk losing the very ecosystems we travel to marvel at.
Our Strategy
Give divers the opportunity to Seek Adventure and Save The Ocean.
PADI Travel has chosen to support the continuation of The Ocean Foundation's SeaGrass Grow Program to enable dive adventures that conserve seagrass and mangroves and come with less - or no - carbon footprint.
Dive Travel
Add an optional donation to The Ocean Foundation's SeaGrass Grow Program to the cost of your PADI Travel Dive Adventure, at a set price per metric tonne sequestered from the atmosphere.
Blue Carbon Restoration
The Ocean Foundation receives 100% of your donation and combine it with additional funding from other supporting organizations to enable seagrass and mangrove restoration in Jobos Bay Reserve in Puerto Rico.
The Ocean Foundation
As the only community foundation for the ocean, The Ocean Foundation is dedicated to reversing the trend of destruction of ocean environments around the world. PADI Travelers have the opportunity to financially support the restoration of blue carbon ecosystems in Puerto Rico, through The Ocean Foundation's SeaGrass Grow Program.
The Ocean Foundation’s projects span the globe and cover a myriad of issues and topics. Each project works within four core areas: ocean literacy, protecting species, conserving habitats, and building the capacity of the marine conservation community.
The Ocean Foundation's SeaGrass Grow Program
The Ocean Foundation has been involved in coastal restoration since 2008 and released the first-ever Blue Carbon Offset Calculator in 2012 to provide charitable carbon offsets.
The Ocean Foundation founded and is currently leading a large-scale seagrass and mangrove restoration project at the Jobos Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve in close partnership with the Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and Conservación ConCiencia, a Puerto Rico-based nonprofit.
Explore Eco Travel Options
Add your donation to The Ocean Foundation's SeaGrass Grow Program at checkout, under the section titled "Offset Your Adventure".
