Seagrass meadows of northeastern Australia

The northeastern Australian coastline from the tropics (10°S) to the subtropical zone of the southern Great Barrier Reef (GBR) and its World Heritage Area (25°S) is famous for coral reefs, a huge drawcard for the Australian tourist industry. Less appreciated but of at least equal importance to ecosystem functionality are the enormous seagrass meadows that stretch along these shallow coastal waters from intertidal banks to about 60 m deep (Fig. 1). Unique for a developed country such as Australia, a large proportion of these meadows are remote from human populations and anthropogenic impacts. Many meadows, such as those in the Gulf of Carpentaria, are inaccessible and rarely visited by people (Fig. 2).