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Abstract. Seagrass ecosystems play a vital role in coastal marine environments, providing numerous ecological services and supporting diverse faunal communities. Yet, they face increasing threats, including declining cover in many coastal areas. This study investigates the status of seagrasses and associated macroinvertebrates in Panguil Bay, Philippines, where declining trends in seagrass cover have been observed over time, to identify further management strategies to sustain their growth and productivity. Sampling sites were established in the four municipalities in Panguil Bay that were reported to have had the highest seagrass cover in the past years. The seagrass community structure was assessed using the transect-quadrat method, and several parameters were also determined. The macroinvertebrates associated with seagrass were evaluated using the same transect laid for the seagrass survey, employing a belt-transect method for sampling macroinvertebrates. Nineteen years since the area was last studied, six seagrass species were identified with Cymodocea rotundata and Syringodium isoetifolium as the most frequent species. Seagrass cover ranged from 10% (poor) to 39% (less healthy conditions), highest in Clarin, Misamis Occidental, and lowest in Tubod, Lanao del Norte, where a further 50% decline was observed. Observations of declining seagrass cover in Panguil Bay highlight the urgent need for holistic management to ensure the protection and sustainability of these ecosystems. Forty-six (46) macroinvertebrate species, represented by four phyla, were recorded in the seagrass sites. The highest number of species is under phylum Mollusca, comprising 34 species. These findings suggested that while seagrass cover may be declining over the years, the associated macroinvertebrates appear abundant and species diversity was still rich across different areas of the bay. Understanding the dynamics of seagrass ecosystems and their associated fauna is crucial to informing conservation and management strategies to mitigate the ongoing threats and ensure the long-term health and resilience of coastal ecosystems in Panguil Bay.
Key Words: seagrass, macroinvertebrates, cover, decline, conservation.
Introduction. Seagrasses are marine flowering plants forming extensive meadows in intertidal and shallow-water marine environments (Camara Lima et al 2023). They influence coastal waters' physical, chemical, and biological environments (Zulkifli et al 2021) and are crucial habitats that contribute to biodiversity, food security, and climate mitigation (Unsworth et al 2022). The habitats provided by seagrasses are critically important, providing numerous ecosystem services that include serving...