Last week, Mote Marine Laboratory & Aquarium hosted a ribbon cutting to celebrate the opening of three research facilities designed to advance the restoration, resilience and long-term sustainability of Florida’s critically important seagrass ecosystems.
The new facilities are The Ron and Marla Wolf Seagrass Restoration Center for Ocean Sustainability Greenhouse Facility, Biogeochemical Carbon Sequestration Lab, and Publix Seagrass Genetics Research Hub.
The Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative was established in 2023 through the Florida Legislature and Governor Ron DeSantis through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), SERRC will further Mote’s efforts to develop, test, and implement effective, cost-efficient, and environmentally sustainable technologies to reverse the decline of Florida’s seagrass habitats.
“These new facilities provide a transformational leap forward in Mote’s mission to restore Florida’s vital seagrass meadows, and is the result of our strategic collaboration with the State of Florida, federal agencies, and generous philanthropic donors” said Dr. Michael P. Crosby, President & CEO of Mote Marine Laboratory.
Seagrasses serve as the foundation for vibrant marine ecosystems and resilient coastal communities, which provide nursery habitats for key fisheries, improve water quality, prevent erosion, and capture carbon. Yet, Florida’s seagrass meadows are vanishing at alarming rates due to dredging, runoff, reduced water clarity, and climate-related impacts in many areas.
Mote’s Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration Research Program serves as the operational arm of the Initiative. The program, led by Mote Postdoctoral Research Fellow Dr. Dominique Gallery, addresses seagrass loss through a multifaceted, science-based approach that includes genetics resiliency, enhanced propagation technologies, and biogeochemical impacts testing.
SERRC will allow Mote and all of its research and commercial applications partners to continue to spearhead the development of Florida’s 10-year Seagrass Restoration Plan, a requirement of the Initiative legislation, and shape the future of seagrass science. The buildings were designed to approach essential aspects of seagrass research and restoration in different ways:
• The Ron and Marla Wolf Seagrass Restoration Center for Ocean Sustainability Greenhouse Facility
Funded jointly by the Bernard and Norton Wolf Family Foundation, Florida DEP, and NOAA, the greenhouse provides a controlled environment for testing the effects of stressors such as salinity, temperature, turbidity, and grazing. These experiments help researchers identify and propagate genotypes most likely to survive in changing environments.
“Seagrass is an important component in creating nurseries for one of the world’s most important food sources and it is also a major carbon sink, helping offset the effects of climate change. It is a true ocean wonder,” said Ron Wolf, ICORR Properties International Founder and President. “The Ron and Marla Wolf Seagrass Center for Ocean Sustainability is excited to see all the progress made on researching resilient seagrass restoration and greatly appreciates Mote’s leadership on this issue which is so important to our coastal ecology and economy.”
The Ron and Marla Wolf Seagrass Center for Ocean Sustainability goes one step further, seeking to better understand the biogeochemical processes and associated carbon sequestration in the sediment and seagrass. By harnessing the huge carbon sequestration provided by seagrass, we hope to create a revenue stream from carbon offsets to benefit continued research and restoration
• The Biogeochemical Carbon Sequestration Lab
Also funded by the Wolf Family, this facility is the first of its kind at Mote focused on seagrass and marine sediment research and its role in carbon sequestration. Scientists at the lab aim to develop data-driven solutions that link seagrass restoration to carbon capture and long-term carbon credit strategies to benefit seagrass ecosystem restoration.
• The Publix Seagrass Genetics Research Hub
Support from Publix Super Markets made the development of this state-of-the-art genetics laboratory possible, where Mote’s Dr. Gallery will identify genetically resilient seagrass populations to use in restoration. As the first international seagrass genetics library, this hub enables scientists to map, catalog, propagate, and recommend seagrass genotypes that are more likely to thrive under increasing worldwide environmental stressors.
“At Publix, we are focused on doing good in the communities we serve,” said Maria Brous, Publix Director of Communications. “We are excited to see the positive impacts of the work Mote is conducting across Florida and beyond.”
The Mote Seagrass Ecosystem Restoration Research Compound ribbon cutting is a milestone in the statewide movement to restore and protect Florida’s imperiled seagrass ecosystems.
As part of Mote’s effort to transfer the seagrass science and technology being developed, Mote has also entered into a formal partnership with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to establish a new research and restoration site within Bahia Honda State Park in the Florida Keys.
Through this unique collaboration and NOAA grant funding, Mote will construct and operate a land-based seagrass ecosystem nursery while supporting the Park’s education and outreach efforts. The partnership will help enhance marine restoration efforts, park visitor experience, and public engagement in one of Florida’s most ecologically significant coastal environments.
To learn more about Mote’s Seagrass Restoration Technology Development Initiative, visit: mote.org/seagrass.
