The Algarve Centre for Marine Sciences (CCMAR), the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests (ICNF) and the Almancil International Rotary Club (AIRC) launched an initiative to inform the public about the highly endangered seahorse population of the Ria Formosa and what each of us can do to protect it.

About 15 years ago, the seagrass meadows of the Ria Formosa were home to the largest seahorse population in the world. Since then, this population has decreased by more than 90% and is now endangered. According to Joaquim Castelão Rodrigues, ICNF Regional Director in the Algarve, "if we consider that the decrease of the seahorse population may mirror the disappearance of other commercial species that use the meadows for growth, shelter, and food, and ultimately the loss of biodiversity of the Ria Formosa, we are facing a scenario that requires action from all citizens.”

Adelino Canário, Director of CCMAR and Professor at the University of Algarve, also points out that "for more than 20 years the seahorse population of the Ria Formosa, as well as the seagrass meadows they inhabit, have been studied by CCMAR scientists. Today we have knowledge of the threats that these species face, the ecological value they represent, and what conservation measures should be urgently implemented to maintain the Ria Formosa's ecosystems healthy".

In this context, CCMAR, ICNF and AIRC have joined efforts to implement several measures for the conservation of the Ria Formosa seahorses and their habitats. One of the measures consists in informing the public, in particular those who frequent the Algarve beaches during the summer, about the situation of the seahorses and which measures we can all take for their conservation. As part of this campaign, posters will be displayed at the entrances of the beaches, piers, and ports of the Ria Formosa, calling for the conservation of this iconic species.

This awareness campaign, as well as other measures that will be implemented in the future, is part of a conservation project supported by the Almancil International Rotary Club. Klaus Ukens, from the international team of this Rotary Club, emphasises that "for this project, we contacted Rotary Clubs in Europe, Africa, and the United States, gathering donors from various parts of the world to support this environmental project in Portugal. It is an international recognition of the value of the Ria Formosa and the need to study and protect it. And we look forward to implementing more conservation measures supported by people from around the world."

This was the second awareness campaign for the conservation of seahorses carried out with these materials, having the first one been done in partnership with the Oceano Azul Foundation. Both campaigns are part of the measures determined by the Seahorses Safeguard Plan, a plan resulting from the work of a wide range of entities.