An Accidental Discovery
The waters off Gorontalo, a province on the island of Sulawesi, contain a vast marine ecosystem. This underwater prairie came to scientific prominence not through a targeted search, but as a byproduct of efforts to track the region's population of dugongs (Dugong dugon). Researchers understood that where there are dugongs, there must be seagrass. The scale and health of the Gorontalo meadows, however, were an unexpected finding.
These meadows are part of Indonesia's larger seagrass habitats, which collectively account for about 11.5% of the world's total. The ecosystem here is a complex, multi-species environment. Surveys in the broader North Sulawesi region have identified at least ten distinct species of these marine flowering plants. Common types that form the dense underwater canopy include Enhalus acoroides, Thalassia hemprichii, Cymodocea rotundata, and Syringodium isoetifolium. The health of the meadow is indicated by its species richness and high-density growth, with some areas containing up to 600 individual plants per square meter.
The Blue Carbon Sink
Seagrass meadows are critical carbon sinks. Per unit of area, they capture carbon far more effectively than terrestrial rainforests. The Gorontalo meadow functions as a massive reservoir of "blue carbon." The majority of this carbon is not stored in the green leafy biomass visible above the seafloor. Instead, more than 95% of it is locked away in the sediment below. An average Indonesian seagrass meadow holds a median carbon stock of 119.5 metric tons of carbon per hectare.
This submerged ecosystem is a foundation for local marine biodiversity. The dense grasses provide habitat and nursery grounds for commercially important fish, including various species of rabbitfish (Siganidae), barracuda (Sphyraenidae), and parrotfish (Scaridae). The primary herbivore is the dugong, a marine mammal that relies almost exclusively on seagrass for food. A single adult dugong consumes large quantities of seagrass daily, making the health of these meadows directly tied to the survival of the local sea cow population. North Sulawesi is considered one of Indonesia's important dugong hotspots, a direct result of the extensive feeding grounds available.