53 One Ocean Foundation is an Italian initiative of international relevance that came about as the idea of the Yacht Club Costa Smeralda, wishing to launch an environmental sustainability project. The One Ocean Foundation was set up with the aim of speeding up ways of solving the ocean’s problems by inspiring international leaders, promoting a sustainable blue economy and improving ocean literacy.To this end, over the past four years, One Ocean Foundation has established partnerships with top institutions, research centres and universities. Osculati is proud to have been a supporter of this development with its donation of €13,888 for the Poseidonia oceanica research and repopulation “Blue Carbon Project”, aimed at restoring the Posidonia oceanica sea meadow in the bed of the Protected Marine Area of Bergeggi Island in Liguria. The purpose being to contribute to the conservation of our precious marine ecosystem. Posidonia oceanica is a marine plant endemic to the Mediterranean Sea of extraordinary environmental value. The extensive underwater meadows are of real ecological importance, able to protect the coastline from erosion and absorb large quantities of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, as well as producing oxygen. In addition, the Posidonia oceanica meadow provides a habitat for many marine organisms, providing them with shelter, food and an area in which to reproduce and grow. The objectives of the project are: • To re-establish the ecological status of the Posidonia oceanica meadow in the study area. • To promote the restoration of the structure and functions of the ecosystem and its associated marine biodiversity. • To develop awareness of the importance of and preservation of marine species and ecosystems specific to the Mediterranean Sea. In the first phase, the project involved the planting of approximately 100 square metres of Posidonia oceanica, using innovative and environmentally friendly transplanting techniques, employing biodegradable materials such as coconut fibre nets. Osculati’s financial support also extends to the monitoring of the data collected throughout the duration of the project. These data will be used for research purposes for the development of future, more compliant transplantation methods and for assessments of the health and restoration status of the Posidonia oceanica meadow and its surrounding area.
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