Italy’s national seagrass project for ocean health
Monday, 19th January 2026
Italy has launched a first-of-its-kind national seagrass mapping project to protect and restore vital marine ecosystems. Led by ISPRA and funded by NextGenerationEU, the Marine Ecosystem Restoration (MER) project focuses on Posidonia oceanica, a Mediterranean seagrass species critical for carbon storage, biodiversity and coastal protection, but one that has declined by over 30% in the past 50 years.
To address fragmented and incomplete data, Fugro, together with CGR, EOMAP and PlanBlue, is mapping Italy’s entire coastline. Using a combination of satellite data, airborne lidar, multibeam sonar and autonomous underwater vehicles, the project delivers a single, integrated view of shallow-water habitats—one of the largest mapping efforts of its kind in Europe.
The resulting high-resolution dataset helps public authorities, developers and conservation groups target restoration efforts, plan resilient infrastructure, secure funding and track environmental impact over time. By turning complex, multi-source data into actionable insights, the project reduces risk and supports smarter coastal decision-making.
More than a technical milestone, the MER project shows how national-scale data can drive meaningful action for ocean health, coastal resilience and Italy’s growing blue economy.
Visit Fugro at Oceanology International 2026 (Oi26) on Stand E600. The world’s leading forum for ocean science, engineering and technology returns to Excel London from 10th to 12th March 2026, connecting more than 8,000 attendees and with every continent in the world represented. For more information or to register, visit the Oi26 website.
