Seagrass beds are habitats teeming with biodiversity in light-filled shallow waters, and are found in both the tropics and temperate regions. They stabilise the seabed, thereby protecting the coast from erosion and flooding; they sequester large amounts of CO₂ and thus help to act as a buffer against global warming; they serve as an important nursery for countless fish species and provide a habitat for seahorses and pipefish.
In the Philippines, they are important for local fisheries, as edible mussels and other seafood are harvested there alongside significant quantities of fish for consumption. Sea turtles and dugongs feed on seagrass and are therefore dependent on seagrass beds.
However, if the sensitive seagrass beds are damaged by trawl nets or, for example, constantly washed over with stirred-up sediment caused by motorboats, they gradually die off and only re-establish themselves very slowly. Off the coast of Palawan and around Rasa Island, large areas of seagrass beds have been destroyed in the past as a result of human activities. For several years now, the waters around Rasa Island have been protected and patrolled, making it possible to reforest the lost seagrass beds.
In a pilot project carried out in collaboration with the University of Puerto Princesa, three small test areas were successfully replanted with seagrass, and a scientifically standardised method for replanting was developed in the process. In collaboration with the Katala Foundation, the largest nature conservation organisation on Palawan, Hellabrunn Zoo is planning large-scale replanting from 2027 onwards.
The endangered zebra-snout seahorse depends on seagrass beds for its habitat. 
An intact seagrass meadow off the coast of Palawan. 
he Katala Foundation team planting seagrass.