Seagrass in ARTIS zoo

ARTIS Zoo, the oldest zoo in the Netherlands, is finalizing the 5-year renovation of its monumental aquarium. During the renovation, I reached out to Alex Huiberse, curator at ARTIS to suggest inclusion of seagrasses in the new aquarium, and this idea was received enthusiastically. After a few meetings over the years a beautiful connected display was designed where seagrasses could be shown in connection to mangrove and coral habitat.

Including seagrasses in public aquaria is a crucial step in raising awareness for this ecosystem type that is the least protected marine habitat worldwide. This way, the public can learn about the importance of seagrass conservation and restoration, which will benefit biodiversity and climate mitigation.

This January, in collaboration with dr. Arie Vonk from the University of Amsterdam, we thought of a plan to collect and transport living seagrass from Curaçao to ARTIS. After all necessary paperwork was arranged, Arie managed to carefully collect and package plant material from three species (Thalassia testudinum, Syringodium filiforme and Halophila stipulacea) just before his departure to Amsterdam.

This way, we managed to plant the seagrass material within 24 hrs after collection in the field. The aquarium team of ARTIS made a nice home for the seagrasses and a few weeks after planting, new young blades are already visible. In the future, Caribbean sea horses that will be added to the aquarium that use the seagrass blades to hold on to. If all goes well, this will be the first seagrass display in the Netherlands on the opening of the aquarium 13th of June 2026.