Green Gravel Action Group: Reseeding Marine Forests

Dani Bandt^1,2, George Wood^3,1,2, Jurgen Valckenaere^1,2, Karen Filbee-Dexter^1,2,4, Thomas Wernberg^1,5,2

¹University of Western Australia, Australia - ²Green Gravel Action Group, Global - ³Flinders University, Australia - ⁴Australian Research Council Future Fellowship, Australia - ⁵Institute of Marine Research, Norway

Green Gravel Action Group: Reseeding Marine Forests Dani Bandt, Georgina Wood, Jurgen Valckenaere, Karen Filbee-Dexter, Thomas Wernberg, To address the rapid decline of marine forests and meet international commitments such as the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s ‘30 by 30’ targets, there is an urgent need to scale up macroalgal restoration efforts. The Green Gravel Action Group (GGAG), a global network of 67 members, is dedicated to restoring a diverse range of macroalgal forests. The group promotes knowledge exchange to accelerate innovation and global outplanting efforts. Here we overview new developments in restoration projects led by GGAG members, including refined techniques for macroalgal restoration. From these projects, several challenges have been identified that hinder the widespread implementation of large-scale restoration. Key obstacles include limited funding and capacity, environmental difficulties at restoration sites, technical barriers, and policy challenges. Despite these challenges, significant progress has been made in recent years, with new techniques, increased community engagement and a growing momentum to scale up restoration efforts. To overcome these barriers, the GGAG recommends several strategies: developing new financial pathways to support restoration, building technical skills and capacity, utilizing emerging innovations such as mobile hatcheries and seeding technologies, exploring novel funding mechanisms and establishing scientific and governance frameworks to ensure effective implementation and monitoring. By addressing these challenges and scaling up restoration efforts, we aim to work to meet international targets to restore vital marine ecosystems worldwide.