Mauritian climate activist holds underwater protest to protect seagrass

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SAYA DE MALHA BANK, Indian Ocean (Reuters) - In a remote stretch of the western Indian Ocean, a 24-year-old Mauritian marine scientist donned a snorkel and dived below the choppy waves to float in protest above the world’s largest seagrass meadow.

Holding a placard reading ‘Youth Strike for Climate,’ Shaama Sandooyea held her breath and hoped the images from her action would help spark more aggressive global action to fight climate change.

The vast stretch of seagrass at the Saya de Malha Bank has become a priority for conservation partly for its role in absorbing climate-warming carbon dioxide. Elsewhere, the world is losing some 7% of its seagrass cover per year due to dredging, rising ocean temperatures and other factors.