Due to climate change and human activities, it’s becoming increasingly difficult for life in our seas and oceans to survive, and their ability to fulfil their important ecological functions is limited. This also applies to seagrasses, which are in decline around the world. Researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel have discovered that seagrasses can recover, but that genetic variants are lost as a result. The right environmental factors, such as water and soil texture, are particularly important for this recovery. Dispersal and outcrossing with seagrasses from neighbouring populations can also help to save them.