A new study published in Frontiers in Marine Science shows that dugongs, the marine mammals known as sea cows, can more than double the amount of carbon stored in seagrass meadows. The research, focused on seagrass ecosystems in Bahrain, found that meadows grazed by dugongs stored over twice as much carbon as similar areas without them. Seagrass covers only 0.2% of the seafloor but captures carbon up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests, making it a critical blue carbon sink. The findings add to a growing scientific consensus that wildlife plays a direct role in climate mitigation. Over 260 scientists have launched the Scientific Consensus on Wildlife and Climate, arguing that climate policies must account for how animals like dugongs, forest elephants, and sea otters influence carbon cycles. Protecting these species is not just about biodiversity, it is about maintaining the natural processes that keep ecosystems functioning as carbon sinks. For carbon market participants and climate policymakers, this research underscores that nature-based solutions are incomplete without wildlife. Dugong conservation could become a measurable component of blue carbon projects, potentially affecting how seagrass restoration credits are valued and verified.
