Dana Clark
@dana-clark.bsky.social
Restoration Ecology Team Leader | Cawthron Institute, New Zealand
Editor-in-Chief | New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
Focused on seagrass restoration, coastal ecosystem health and applied coastal management 🌿🌊
Editor-in-Chief | New Zealand Journal of Marine and Freshwater Research
Focused on seagrass restoration, coastal ecosystem health and applied coastal management 🌿🌊
Our new paper draws on 4 years of #seagrass monitoring in Nelson, providing the first comprehensive assessment of flowering dynamics in New Zealand 🌱🪴
So neat to be apart of this ongoing research!
@dana-clark.bsky.social
@dan-crossett.bsky.social
@al-alder.bsky.social
So neat to be apart of this ongoing research!
@dana-clark.bsky.social
@dan-crossett.bsky.social
@al-alder.bsky.social
Seasonal Patterns and Environmental Drivers of Seagrass (<i>Zostera muelleri</i>) Flowering in Aotearoa New Zealand: Implications for Seed‐Based Restoration
Seagrass flowering underpins seed-based restoration and is governed by the interaction of multiple abiotic and biotic drivers operating across a range of temporal and spatial scales. In New Zealand/A...
rsnz.onlinelibrary.wiley.com
August 11, 2026 at 9:04 PM
Behind the scenes of #SeagrassRestoration 🌱
We’re growing and trialling nursery-based #seagrass seedlings to see how different sediment types and light shape how seedlings establish, grow, and survive before outplanting in the field.
#RestoreTheMeadows #MarineRestoration #CawthronInstitute
We’re growing and trialling nursery-based #seagrass seedlings to see how different sediment types and light shape how seedlings establish, grow, and survive before outplanting in the field.
#RestoreTheMeadows #MarineRestoration #CawthronInstitute
July 1, 2026 at 9:12 PM
Something I’ve always liked about seagrass is where it sits right at the edge of land and sea.
Also wild that it’s the only marine flowering plant — found all over the world, but just one species here in Aotearoa.
It’s only one piece of the puzzle, but it’s a pretty cool one.
#Restorethemeadows
Also wild that it’s the only marine flowering plant — found all over the world, but just one species here in Aotearoa.
It’s only one piece of the puzzle, but it’s a pretty cool one.
#Restorethemeadows
June 22, 2026 at 11:32 PM
Thinking ki uta ki tai 🌱🌊
Seagrass meadows sit where freshwater meets the sea, trapping sediments and nutrients before they move offshore. These habitats connect catchments to the ocean, helping coastal ecosystems function and stay resilient. Protecting seagrass protects the whole system.
Seagrass meadows sit where freshwater meets the sea, trapping sediments and nutrients before they move offshore. These habitats connect catchments to the ocean, helping coastal ecosystems function and stay resilient. Protecting seagrass protects the whole system.
May 10, 2026 at 9:53 PM
Thinking ki uta ki tai 🌱🌊
Seagrass meadows sit where freshwater meets the sea, trapping sediments and nutrients before they move offshore. These habitats connect catchments to the ocean, helping coastal ecosystems function and stay resilient. Protecting seagrass protects the whole system.
Seagrass meadows sit where freshwater meets the sea, trapping sediments and nutrients before they move offshore. These habitats connect catchments to the ocean, helping coastal ecosystems function and stay resilient. Protecting seagrass protects the whole system.
Trailer out now for an inspiring new film on seagrass 🌊🎬 www.youtube.com/watch?v=quyQ...
Seagrass meadows support biodiversity, store carbon & stabilise sediments. This is why Restore the Meadows is working to bring them back 💚
Seagrass meadows support biodiversity, store carbon & stabilise sediments. This is why Restore the Meadows is working to bring them back 💚
Lungs of the Ocean | Official Trailer
YouTube video by Guilherme Vale
www.youtube.com
April 26, 2026 at 11:27 PM
Trailer out now for an inspiring new film on seagrass 🌊🎬 www.youtube.com/watch?v=quyQ...
Seagrass meadows support biodiversity, store carbon & stabilise sediments. This is why Restore the Meadows is working to bring them back 💚
Seagrass meadows support biodiversity, store carbon & stabilise sediments. This is why Restore the Meadows is working to bring them back 💚
Seagrass meadows around Whakatū / Nelson are quietly teeming with life 🌱🌊
Among the blades of karepō live worms, amphipods, shellfish, and crabs—powering coastal food webs from the sediment up.
Layered, connected, and dynamic—seagrass is far more than a plant. #RestoreTheMeadows #CawthronInstitute
Among the blades of karepō live worms, amphipods, shellfish, and crabs—powering coastal food webs from the sediment up.
Layered, connected, and dynamic—seagrass is far more than a plant. #RestoreTheMeadows #CawthronInstitute
April 9, 2026 at 11:00 PM
Rangitahi from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tuia Te Matangi joined #RestoreTheMeadows researchers @al-alder.bsky.social, Halle and Ellie in the seagrass meadow 🌱
Thanks to Ngāti Tama for helping bring mātauranga Māori into science!
🎥 Treena Shee
www.youtube.com/shorts/lrKsG...
Thanks to Ngāti Tama for helping bring mātauranga Māori into science!
🎥 Treena Shee
www.youtube.com/shorts/lrKsG...
Seagrass Sampling
YouTube video by Treena Shee
www.youtube.com
March 20, 2026 at 1:37 AM
Rangitahi from Te Kura Kaupapa Māori o Tuia Te Matangi joined #RestoreTheMeadows researchers @al-alder.bsky.social, Halle and Ellie in the seagrass meadow 🌱
Thanks to Ngāti Tama for helping bring mātauranga Māori into science!
🎥 Treena Shee
www.youtube.com/shorts/lrKsG...
Thanks to Ngāti Tama for helping bring mātauranga Māori into science!
🎥 Treena Shee
www.youtube.com/shorts/lrKsG...
Great to host the Clare Foundation this week to share our #RestoreTheMeadows work. We visited a seagrass meadow and our nursery at the #Cawthron Aquaculture Park, showing how research translates to practical restoration while supporting Te Tau Ihu iwi, students, and community outreach.
March 12, 2026 at 10:44 PM
Great to host the Clare Foundation this week to share our #RestoreTheMeadows work. We visited a seagrass meadow and our nursery at the #Cawthron Aquaculture Park, showing how research translates to practical restoration while supporting Te Tau Ihu iwi, students, and community outreach.
🌿 International Women’s Day 🌿
#RestoreTheMeadows is proudly co-led by women (Dana Clark & Anna Berthelsen) and has supported 12 students/interns. With researchers like @maureen-ho.bsky.social Ho, we’re committed to growing women in marine science and restoring our coasts. 💚
#IWD #WomenInSTEM
#RestoreTheMeadows is proudly co-led by women (Dana Clark & Anna Berthelsen) and has supported 12 students/interns. With researchers like @maureen-ho.bsky.social Ho, we’re committed to growing women in marine science and restoring our coasts. 💚
#IWD #WomenInSTEM
March 8, 2026 at 7:09 AM
🌿 International Women’s Day 🌿
#RestoreTheMeadows is proudly co-led by women (Dana Clark & Anna Berthelsen) and has supported 12 students/interns. With researchers like @maureen-ho.bsky.social Ho, we’re committed to growing women in marine science and restoring our coasts. 💚
#IWD #WomenInSTEM
#RestoreTheMeadows is proudly co-led by women (Dana Clark & Anna Berthelsen) and has supported 12 students/interns. With researchers like @maureen-ho.bsky.social Ho, we’re committed to growing women in marine science and restoring our coasts. 💚
#IWD #WomenInSTEM
#RestoreTheMeadow’s first iwi-led seagrass project in Te Tau Ihu, #Aotearoa is underway!
Last week, I had the privilege to work in Whatamango Bay with Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui Trust to map and survey the #seagrass meadow; the first time this site has been surveyed since 2018.
Cont'd below(1/5)
Last week, I had the privilege to work in Whatamango Bay with Te Ātiawa o te Waka-a-Māui Trust to map and survey the #seagrass meadow; the first time this site has been surveyed since 2018.
Cont'd below(1/5)
March 3, 2026 at 10:14 PM
Happy #WorldSeagrassDay! 🌱
Small plants. Big impact.
Today we recognise the vital role #seagrass meadows play in #Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal ecosystems.
Support restoration. Reduce pollution. Spread awareness.
Protect our seagrass meadows. 💙
#RestoreTheMeadows #SeagrassRestoration
Small plants. Big impact.
Today we recognise the vital role #seagrass meadows play in #Aotearoa New Zealand’s coastal ecosystems.
Support restoration. Reduce pollution. Spread awareness.
Protect our seagrass meadows. 💙
#RestoreTheMeadows #SeagrassRestoration
March 1, 2026 at 1:29 AM
Want to help protect seagrass meadows? 🌱 Here are a few friendly tips!
#RestoreTheMeadows #Seagrass
#MarineRestoration
#RestoreTheMeadows #Seagrass
#MarineRestoration
January 25, 2026 at 8:06 PM
Best way to end the first week back? Hands and knees in the morning light hunting for the last flowers of the season. 🌸
Big thanks to @PortNelson for the support—we're chasing those chunky stage 3 seeds to top up the tally. Over 20k flowers collected this year! 🤯
Big thanks to @PortNelson for the support—we're chasing those chunky stage 3 seeds to top up the tally. Over 20k flowers collected this year! 🤯
January 13, 2026 at 9:57 PM
New year, new growth 🌱
The #RestoreTheMeadows team is kicking off new nursery experiments to optimise light conditions and sediment types for growing seagrass. Building on @Ellie Brettle’s PhD research, this is a key step toward scaling up seed-based restoration.
The #RestoreTheMeadows team is kicking off new nursery experiments to optimise light conditions and sediment types for growing seagrass. Building on @Ellie Brettle’s PhD research, this is a key step toward scaling up seed-based restoration.
December 31, 2025 at 6:15 PM
New year, new growth 🌱
The #RestoreTheMeadows team is kicking off new nursery experiments to optimise light conditions and sediment types for growing seagrass. Building on @Ellie Brettle’s PhD research, this is a key step toward scaling up seed-based restoration.
The #RestoreTheMeadows team is kicking off new nursery experiments to optimise light conditions and sediment types for growing seagrass. Building on @Ellie Brettle’s PhD research, this is a key step toward scaling up seed-based restoration.
Season’s greetings from the #RestoreTheMeadows team 🌿
We’ve wrapped up seagrass flowering collection for the season, harvesting ~20,000 flowers. These will support experiments next year to optimise light & sediment conditions for growing seagrass.
Thanks to everyone who supported us this year 🌊
We’ve wrapped up seagrass flowering collection for the season, harvesting ~20,000 flowers. These will support experiments next year to optimise light & sediment conditions for growing seagrass.
Thanks to everyone who supported us this year 🌊
December 24, 2025 at 8:44 PM
Season’s greetings from the #RestoreTheMeadows team 🌿
We’ve wrapped up seagrass flowering collection for the season, harvesting ~20,000 flowers. These will support experiments next year to optimise light & sediment conditions for growing seagrass.
Thanks to everyone who supported us this year 🌊
We’ve wrapped up seagrass flowering collection for the season, harvesting ~20,000 flowers. These will support experiments next year to optimise light & sediment conditions for growing seagrass.
Thanks to everyone who supported us this year 🌊
#RestoreTheMeadows spent Fri–Sat at Waimea Inlet with amazing volunteers from the Boathouse Society collecting seagrass flowers 🌿 Seeds from these will support nursery experiments. It takes many seeds, so we’re grateful for the help!
December 15, 2025 at 3:40 AM
#RestoreTheMeadows spent Fri–Sat at Waimea Inlet with amazing volunteers from the Boathouse Society collecting seagrass flowers 🌿 Seeds from these will support nursery experiments. It takes many seeds, so we’re grateful for the help!
Flower collections are in full force! Thank you to every volunteer and community member supporting our #SeagrassRestoration work. From collection efforts to educational events, you're building a healthier future for our #oceans. Together you’ve contributed 525 outreach hours!🌱
#RestoreTheMeadows
#RestoreTheMeadows
December 7, 2025 at 11:05 PM
So neat to get to present the progress and future directions of our #RestoretheMeadows program at #ASPAB in Wellington, #NewZealand!
#Cawthron #SeagrassRestoration #MarineScience
#Cawthron #SeagrassRestoration #MarineScience
November 27, 2025 at 9:04 PM
Haere mai, welcome, Yuki Hughes to the #RestoretheMeadows research team! Yuki is joining us as a Cawthron Institute Summer Scholar and will be helping collect and process seagrass flowers, as well as running a district experiment to understand pollination of seagrass flowers in a lab setting.
November 25, 2025 at 1:42 AM
🌿 Our latest #RestoreTheMeadows update is out! Catch up on 8 months of seagrass restoration progress, new partnerships, and seedling breakthroughs at Cawthron.
👉 mailchi.mp/79994b350043...
#Seagrass #NewZealand #MarineRestoration #MarineConservation #SeagrassRestoration
👉 mailchi.mp/79994b350043...
#Seagrass #NewZealand #MarineRestoration #MarineConservation #SeagrassRestoration
An update from Restoring the Meadows - a Cawthron-led seagrass restoration project
mailchi.mp
November 12, 2025 at 10:56 PM
🌿 Our latest #RestoreTheMeadows update is out! Catch up on 8 months of seagrass restoration progress, new partnerships, and seedling breakthroughs at Cawthron.
👉 mailchi.mp/79994b350043...
#Seagrass #NewZealand #MarineRestoration #MarineConservation #SeagrassRestoration
👉 mailchi.mp/79994b350043...
#Seagrass #NewZealand #MarineRestoration #MarineConservation #SeagrassRestoration
🌊 Call for Papers: Fish & Fisheries of the Pacific Islands 🐟
New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research invites papers on Pacific small-scale fisheries — ecology, culture, governance & more.
🗓️ Titles due 30 Jan 2026
www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/nzjm-pa...
#PacificFisheries #CallForPapers
New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research invites papers on Pacific small-scale fisheries — ecology, culture, governance & more.
🗓️ Titles due 30 Jan 2026
www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/nzjm-pa...
#PacificFisheries #CallForPapers
NZJMFR Call for Papers: Special Issue on Fish and Fisheries of the Pacific Islands
Small-scale fisheries across the Pacific are central to food security, livelihoods, and cultural identity. At both artisanal and subsistence levels, these fisheries underpin the wellbeing and survival...
www.royalsociety.org.nz
November 12, 2025 at 10:24 PM
🌊 Call for Papers: Fish & Fisheries of the Pacific Islands 🐟
New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research invites papers on Pacific small-scale fisheries — ecology, culture, governance & more.
🗓️ Titles due 30 Jan 2026
www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/nzjm-pa...
#PacificFisheries #CallForPapers
New Zealand Journal of Marine & Freshwater Research invites papers on Pacific small-scale fisheries — ecology, culture, governance & more.
🗓️ Titles due 30 Jan 2026
www.royalsociety.org.nz/news/nzjm-pa...
#PacificFisheries #CallForPapers
🌱Spring is blooming in the meadows! 🌱
Our #RestoreTheMeadows team has been busy finding #seagrass flowers and gearing up for the season. With summer approaching, we’re excited to continue restoring these vital underwater meadows 🌏🌊
#SeagrassRestoration #MarineRestoration #CawthronInstitute
Our #RestoreTheMeadows team has been busy finding #seagrass flowers and gearing up for the season. With summer approaching, we’re excited to continue restoring these vital underwater meadows 🌏🌊
#SeagrassRestoration #MarineRestoration #CawthronInstitute
October 30, 2025 at 10:42 PM
If you’re in NZ 🇳🇿 and want to help us learn when and where seagrass flowers, download our new app and start spotting flowers in your local meadows! 🌿💚
#RestoreTheMeadows #Seagrass #CitizenScience
#RestoreTheMeadows #Seagrass #CitizenScience
Exciting news for seagrass lovers! As part of Cawthron's Restore the Meadows seagrass restoration programme, we’ve launched the Aotearoa Seagrass Flower Survey database – a national hub for recording seagrass flowering data.
seagrassflowerdatabase.cawthron.org.nz
www.cawthron.org.nz/research/our...
seagrassflowerdatabase.cawthron.org.nz
www.cawthron.org.nz/research/our...
October 29, 2025 at 7:09 AM
If you’re in NZ 🇳🇿 and want to help us learn when and where seagrass flowers, download our new app and start spotting flowers in your local meadows! 🌿💚
#RestoreTheMeadows #Seagrass #CitizenScience
#RestoreTheMeadows #Seagrass #CitizenScience
Our #RestoreTheMeadows team was excited to see this discovery — the first known green turtle feeding habitat in NZ, found in Rangaunu Harbour’s seagrass meadows! 🐢🌿 A great reminder why seagrass restoration matters.
👉 earthsciences.nz/news/first-k...
👉 earthsciences.nz/news/first-k...
First known green turtle feeding habitat confirmed in NZ
earthsciences.nz
October 22, 2025 at 8:08 AM
Our #RestoreTheMeadows team was excited to see this discovery — the first known green turtle feeding habitat in NZ, found in Rangaunu Harbour’s seagrass meadows! 🐢🌿 A great reminder why seagrass restoration matters.
👉 earthsciences.nz/news/first-k...
👉 earthsciences.nz/news/first-k...
Excited to share our new paper in Ocean Sustainability! 🌊
“The right tools for the job: Considerations for implementing ecosystem-based management for marine ecosystems.”
Funded by the NZ Sustainable Seas Challenge.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
#EBM #OceanSustainability
“The right tools for the job: Considerations for implementing ecosystem-based management for marine ecosystems.”
Funded by the NZ Sustainable Seas Challenge.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
#EBM #OceanSustainability
The right tools for the job: Considerations for the implementation of an ecosystem-based management approach for marine ecosystems - npj Ocean Sustainability
npj Ocean Sustainability - The right tools for the job: Considerations for the implementation of an ecosystem-based management approach for marine ecosystems
doi.org
October 19, 2025 at 9:46 PM
Excited to share our new paper in Ocean Sustainability! 🌊
“The right tools for the job: Considerations for implementing ecosystem-based management for marine ecosystems.”
Funded by the NZ Sustainable Seas Challenge.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
#EBM #OceanSustainability
“The right tools for the job: Considerations for implementing ecosystem-based management for marine ecosystems.”
Funded by the NZ Sustainable Seas Challenge.
🔗 doi.org/10.1038/s441...
#EBM #OceanSustainability