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Seagrass in Hong Kong waters declines 60% as turtle sightings fall
Government data show green sea turtle sightings dropped from 17 in 2019 to seven in 2025, alongside a sharp fall in turtle strandings.
On Hong Kong’s Lamma Island, receding tides have exposed seagrass beds, a marine plant scientists describe as an important driver of biodiversity and carbon storage. The outlet SCMP Economy reports that seagrass can lock away climate-warming carbon at a rate up to 35 times faster than tropical rainforests.
Despite that potential, seagrass levels in local waters have fallen by 60 per cent over the past two decades, according to the article. The same figures show green sea turtle sightings declined from 17 in 2019 to seven in 2025.
The report also links the downturn to reduced food availability for turtles, as local green sea turtles feed on seagrass. It adds that strandings have decreased from 16 in 2018 to two so far this year, based on data provided early last month.
To reverse the trend, researchers are working with villagers to plant more seagrass. SCMP Economy quotes Juan Diego Gaitan-Espitia, an associate professor of biological sciences at the University of Hong Kong, describing seagrasses as “ultimate underwater superheroes.”