Quantifying Seagrass Natural Capital — Global Meta-Analysis of Biodiversity Gain and Ecosystem Service Functions for Marine Accounting

About the Project

Seagrass meadows are among the planet’s most valuable coastal ecosystems, yet their contribution to natural capital—the stock of nature supporting economic and social wellbeing—remains poorly quantified. This PhD will provide the first global, quantitative synthesis of how seagrass ecosystems enhance marine biodiversity and regulate key ecosystem services, producing data directly usable in national natural capital accounts and marine biodiversity-net-gain frameworks.

Building on recent progress in ecosystem accounting (SEEA-EA, UN 2021) and the UK’s 2025 Marine and Coastal Natural Capital Accounts, this project will deliver global evidence of biodiversity uplift, quantify how seagrass condition (cover, canopy, density) influences service flows (e.g. coastal protection, water clarity, nutrient cycling), and develop decision-grade coefficients for policy and reporting (BNG, TNFD).

This PhD will quantify how seagrass ecosystems contribute to natural capital, providing globally consistent evidence of their role in supporting biodiversity and key ecosystem services. The research will combine systematic review, meta-analysis, and natural-capital accounting methods to generate robust, decision-grade indicators that can feed directly into national and international ecosystem accounts.

The candidate will synthesise worldwide data on the biodiversity benefits of seagrass presence and restoration, then develop models linking seagrass condition metrics, such as canopy height, density, and cover, to measurable service outcomes including water clarity, nutrient regulation, and coastal protection. These results will be integrated into the System of Environmental-Economic Accounting, Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA) framework, producing worked examples of condition and services tables aligned with the UK Marine and Coastal Natural Capital Accounts. The project’s outputs will help governments and conservation agencies incorporate seagrass ecosystems into biodiversity net gain, blue-carbon, and nature-related disclosure frameworks (e.g., TNFD), strengthening the evidence base for global marine conservation and sustainable development.

Supervisor details: Mariana Do Amaral Camara Lima

For more information about the School of Science, Engineering and Environment at the University of Salford visit: https://www.salford.ac.uk/school-of-science-engineering-and-environment/postgraduate-research-in-the-school-of-science-engineering-and-environment

Please use this Research Proposal, Personal statement, and CV GUIDE when preparing an application: https://issuu.com/universityofsalford2/docs/see_research_proposal_personal_statement_cv_guid?fr=xKAE9_zU1NQ

Funding Notes

To inquire about University of Salford funding schemes – including the Widening Participation Scholarship – visit this website: View Website.

Enquiries to: Moira Mort: PGR-SupportSSEE@salford.ac.uk

References

Lima et al. (2023). A review of seagrass ecosystem services: providing nature-based solutions for a changing world. Hydrobiologia.
United Nations et al. (2021). System of Environmental-Economic Accounting—Ecosystem Accounting (SEEA-EA). United Nations Statistics Division.
Himes-Cornell, A., & Grose, S. (2021). Ecosystem accounting for the ocean. Ocean & Coastal Management, 210, 105697.
Office for National Statistics (2025). UK Marine and Coastal Natural Capital Accounts, 2025.
Hemminga, M. A., & Duarte, C. M. (2000). Seagrass Ecology. Cambridge University Press.