site.btaRuppia maritima Being Restored as Important Element of Coastal Ecosystems

The restoration of Ruppia maritima (an aquatic plant commonly known as beaked tasselweed or ditchgrass) in Lake Atanasovsko is part of a new approach to reviving Bulgaria's coastal ecosystems, the Bulgarian Biodiversity Foundation (BBF) said on Monday. The BBF is carrying out conservation activities under the project LIFE: Lagoon of Life.

Lake Atanasovsko is a saline lake west of the port of Burgas, in immediate proximity to the Black Sea. For a long time, it was believed to have lost its Ruppia maritima population.

Ruppia maritima is a thread-thin grasslike herb which reaches 15 cm in height. The water currents and the wind help the plant pollinate. According to the BBF, small, isolated colonies of the species were spotted in the northern part of the lagoon in 2015.

The plant is obviously influenced by the drying out of water bodies situated farther inland, high water temperatures, strong waves caused by the summer breeze in shallow places, and moving turbid water.

Ruppia maritima is important, because it forms vast, dense underwater fields which serve as habitats for mollusks, worms and fish, which, in turn, attract birds that use them as food. Ruppia maritima itself is a preferred food for various duck and goose species, the BBF said.

The Ruppia maritima restoration effort in 2021 employed the TERES technique which uses a net attached to a frame, with the plants fitted into the net. The first stable colony of the species was thus created on an area of 40 square metres in the southern section of Lake Atanasovsko in the summer of that year. Experts are also using other techniques to achieve greater success.

A BBF video on YouTube tells about the challenges confronting Ruppia maritima.

Wetlands are vulnerable ecosystems easily influenced by human activity. For instance, they may run dry, or coastal forests may have to be destroyed to make room for hydroelectric water power plants, the BBF's Radostina Tsenova explained to BTA back in February. She said Bulgaria has 11 Ramsar wetlands of international importance.