Diminishing seagrass meadows are difficult to re-establish because enhanced hydrodynamic energy and turbidity levels hinder resettlement. To improve restoration efforts, we develop artificial seagrass (ASG) that improves these environmental conditions so real seagrass can regrow. Obviously no potentially harmful non-degradable substances should be introduced into the system, so we will use fully biodegradable materials for our ASG.

To achieve our goal, scientists and industrial partners from different disciplines will work closely together. During the development of the ASG, they will also find answers to the following questions:

• What are the demands of seagrass meadows on the environment?
• How does seagrass influence the environment and on what does this influence depend?
• Which forces does the natural or artificial seagrass need to withstand?
• How do biodegradable synthetics decompose in seawater?
• How can biodegradable products be made from fibres (e.g. from seagrass)?