Seagrass research in the eastern Africa region:: emphasis on diversity, ecology and ecophysiology

This paper presents a brief review of seagrass research in the eastern African region, including Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, eastern South Africa, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Reunion and Mauritius. Only about 60 references have been published from this region since the 1930's, covering mainly seagrass diversity and ecology, and only about 30 of these have been published during the last 10 years in international journals. These covered mainly ecology, ecophysiology and anatomy/histochemistry. Considering this and the fact that eastern Africa with its 12 species is a region of high diversity of seagrasses, seagrass research in the region appears to be in its infancy. Apart from the need for continued survey and mapping activities, future research has to focus on the significance of seagrass beds in the region, their role in the coastal ecosystem and how they are affected by various anthropogenic changes.