“If we don’t protect the meadows, we drop a bomb”

An old-growth forest counterpart in the sea is spelled eelgrass meadow. Eelgrass meadows are the northern hemisphere’s most common seaweed and are a nursery for, among other things, eels and the beloved cod. But the eelgrass also binds carbon dioxide and nitrogen. If you lose one hectare of eelgrass, researchers have calculated that it is equivalent to a loss of one million kronor. In Bohuslän, 90 percent of the eelgrass meadows that existed in the area just 40 years ago have been lost. Now they are trying to replant the meadows, but it seems more difficult than first thought.