A critical review on the conservation of Pacific marine angiosperms

Marine angiosperm meadows are considered one of the most valuable ecosystems in the world along with estuaries due to their role as primary producers, and as shelter for the biodiversity. The activity of the human being is greatly affecting these meadows. For this reason, a comprehensive bibliographic review on the conservation actions applied to marine angiosperms from the Pacific Ocean has been carried out. The main objective was to study its current state of conservation and compare it to previous assessments on this topic. The review was made taking into consideration articles published between 2006 and 2021 based on distribution, population trend, threats, and ex situ and in situ conservation measures applied to the target species. The results obtained showed that scarce information was found for all species in the previously mentioned areas. For example, for the species Halophila hawaiiana Doty & B.C. Stone 1966 no information was found. More information was found on H. beccarii Ascherson. 1871 and Phyllospadix japonicus Makino 1897. However, all this information does not have a direct applicability in the state of conservation of these species. In conclusion, much more research is needed in relation to all aspects of interest, especially those focused on conservation measures both in situ and ex situ in order to prevent these species from severe population decline.