The Situations of Seagrass Resources and Researches along Guangxi Coasts of Beibu Gulf

Five seagrass species have been identified in Guangxi shoal water,Beibu Gulf.They are.Zostera japonica,Syringodium isoetifolium,Halodule uninervis,Halophila ovalis and Halophila beccarii.As a total,there are about 640hm2 seagrass beds in Guangxi coastal areas,of which 540hm2 distributes in Hepu,about 100hm2 in Pearl Bay of Fangchenggang and a few in Beihai.The areas of seagrass beds obviously changed in season and annual,and degraded in general.The seagrass bed in Hepu is one of the most important habitats to China seagrass conservation.The collected data and papers showed that only a few scientific studies had been conducted on Guangxi seagrass.All seagrass habitats except Hepu were only reported in the past six years.The ecological services of seagrass,human and natural threats to Guangxi seagrass and a brief review on China and Guangxi seagrass researches are released.More studies and monitoring are required to the Guangxi seagrass for the special role of seagrass in maintaining offshore environment and marine biodiversity during the bloom of Guangxi coastal economy.