
Posidonia Monitoring
Natural Heritage
In July, the annual campaign to monitor the vitality of the Posidonia seagrass took place. This marine plant occupies nearly half of the Larvotto Marine Protected Area. It provides habitat and food for marine species, contributes to oxygenation of the water, and stabilizes the seabed. Its role and importance are comparable to those of forests on land.
To ensure the health of the Posidonia seagrass meadow, several measurements are conducted:
- Quadrats are used to count the number of leaf bundles in a given area. A healthy plant has numerous leaves.
- Leaves are collected for laboratory analysis, where their size, weight, and the amount of epibionts (organisms that develop by using the leaves as a substrate) are measured.
The monitoring results show that the Posidonia seagrass in the Larvotto Marine Protected Area is in good health, demonstrating the effectiveness of the management measures in place.
This program is supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.