A recent modeling study investigating Bahrain’s large dugong population suggests that these marine mammals could more than double the capacity of seagrass beds to capture and store carbon, challenging previous beliefs about their environmental impact.
- Dugongs consume up to 96% of seagrass aboveground biomass but stimulate regrowth via nutrient recycling.
- Modeling indicates dugongs could increase seagrass carbon capture by over two times.
- Results highlight a potential nature-based climate solution but require further direct measurement.
What happened
Scientists developed a mathematical model to study the impact of dugong grazing on seagrass carbon dynamics in Bahrain’s Halodule seagrass beds, home to one of the world’s largest dugong populations outside Australia. These marine mammals consume vast amounts of seagrass, previously considered mainly destructive for ecosystem carbon storage.
The study tracked carbon and nitrogen flows across seagrass, sediment, and dugongs to compare scenarios with and without grazing. Contrary to past assumptions, the model revealed that grazing enhances nutrient cycling through dugong waste, which accelerates seagrass regeneration and increases the overall carbon stored in sediments.
Why it feels good
This research offers a fresh perspective on dugongs’ ecological role, demonstrating that their grazing can powerfully enhance seagrass productivity and carbon sequestration. Seagrass meadows, though covering just a fraction of ocean area, store carbon at rates disproportionate to their size and are critical to achieving global climate goals.
By showing that dugongs can more than double carbon capture and increase sediment storage severalfold, the study suggests nature-based solutions may be more diverse and interconnected than previously understood. Protecting dugongs and their habitats could therefore have climate benefits beyond conservation alone.
What to enjoy or watch next
While the modeling results are promising, they come with sizable uncertainties, as many parameters were inferred from studies of other grazing animals rather than measured directly from dugongs. Future research that gathers empirical data on dugong feeding behavior, nutrient recycling, and carbon storage impacts will be essential to validating these findings.
Campaigns promoting dugong conservation and seagrass habitat protection in Bahrain and globally could gain new momentum through this study’s insights. Watch for follow-up field studies that will shed light on dugongs' precise role in blue carbon ecosystems and explore how this knowledge can support marine climate strategies under the Paris Agreement.