World Seagrass Day
A/RES/76/265
A/RES/76/265
This authority record treats the observance as a fixed annual date. The same month and day can be reused unless a stronger source changes the rule. Public-holiday or government status is never inferred from the observance name alone.
Overview
World Seagrass Day is observed on 1 March. The United Nations General Assembly proclaimed the annual observance through resolution A/RES/76/265, adopted on 23 May 2022.
The day raises awareness of seagrass meadows as marine ecosystems that support biodiversity, fisheries, coastal protection, water quality and climate mitigation and adaptation.
Why it matters
Seagrasses are flowering plants that form underwater meadows in shallow coastal waters. Their ecological role is broader than carbon storage: they provide habitat and nursery areas, help stabilize sediments and support coastal food systems.
An evidence-led observance should distinguish seagrass from seaweed and avoid turning global estimates into claims about every local meadow. Conservation priorities depend on local species, pressures and governance.
History
Sri Lanka submitted draft resolution A/76/L.56 proposing World Seagrass Day, with additional Member States later joining as sponsors.
On 23 May 2022, the General Assembly adopted A/RES/76/265, proclaimed 1 March as World Seagrass Day and invited the United Nations Environment Programme to facilitate the observance.
The United Nations explicitly described 1 March 2023 as the first World Seagrass Day.
How the observance developed
This timeline is assembled only from verified provenance fields. Missing stages are omitted rather than inferred.
Sri Lanka
The UN Digital Library identifies Sri Lanka as the author of draft resolution A/76/L.56, the draft that led to A/RES/76/265.
United Nations General Assembly
UN General Assembly resolution A/RES/76/265
First documented observance
The UN Secretary-General’s noon briefing on 1 March 2023 explicitly identifies that date as the first World Seagrass Day.
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Operative paragraph 4 of A/RES/76/265 invites UNEP to facilitate the observance of World Seagrass Day.
What the evidence establishes
Verified institutional roles and milestones are shown first. Fields that the reviewed sources do not establish remain fail-closed and are available below without competing with the confirmed record.
3 fields not established in reviewed sources
Ways to observe
Learn whether seagrass occurs in a nearby coast or estuary and use a local conservation authority or research institution rather than assuming global distribution applies locally.
Compare the ecosystem services of seagrass meadows with mangroves, salt marshes or coral reefs and note where the functions overlap and where they differ.
Support a coastal clean-up or habitat-restoration programme that follows local ecological guidance and avoids trampling or disturbing sensitive seagrass beds.
Review how boating, anchoring, dredging, pollution or coastal development can affect seagrass in a specific region and identify the management measures actually used there.
Useful facts
World Seagrass Day is observed every year on 1 March.
The General Assembly established the day through resolution A/RES/76/265 on 23 May 2022.
Sri Lanka submitted the draft resolution that became A/RES/76/265.
The resolution invites UNEP to facilitate the observance.
The first World Seagrass Day was marked on 1 March 2023.
Topic and context
What this page does not assume
- Keep the source-defined country, community, organizer or institutional scope; do not silently broaden it.
- Do not treat the title alone as proof of government recognition or public-holiday status.
- Do not add a creator, founding story or origin claim unless the supporting evidence establishes it.
Evidence & sources
Repeated links from the authority record, institutional provenance and editorial guide research are consolidated here. Badges show how each source is used; a contextual source is never treated as proof of establishment on its own.
United Nations Digital Library — A/76/L.56 / Sri Lanka (opens in a new tab)
United Nations Digital Library — A/RES/76/265 (opens in a new tab)
UNEP — World Seagrass Day (opens in a new tab)
Dedicated Authoritative Page
United Nations Secretary-General — noon briefing, first World Seagrass Day (opens in a new tab)
United Nations — World Seagrass Day (opens in a new tab)
Understand it, compare it, then explore further
Start with the most common factual questions, then use reviewed distinctions and related authority records to understand where this observance fits.
Frequently asked questions
When is World Seagrass Day?
1 March The stored recurrence guidance is: 1 March.
Does World Seagrass Day fall on the same date every year?
The authority record classifies it as fixed annual, so its month and day are reusable unless stronger evidence changes the rule.
Is World Seagrass Day an official public holiday?
The authority record verifies it within this scope: United Nations / international observance. That recognition does not by itself make it a statutory public holiday; the site only makes public-holiday claims when the supporting authority record explicitly does so.
Who established or recognizes World Seagrass Day?
The reviewed provenance layer identifies United Nations General Assembly as the proclaiming or establishing body. The proposer or originator is recorded separately as Sri Lanka. Current facilitation or coordination is recorded as United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Is World Seagrass Day international or country-specific?
The record has international or global institutional scope: United Nations / international observance. That does not mean every country treats the date as a public holiday or observes it in the same way.
How is this page verified?
The factual layer is source-backed and keeps its date rule, scope, provenance and editorial guardrails attached to the authority record. This record was checked on 2026-09-07.
When was World Seagrass Day established?
The UN General Assembly adopted resolution A/RES/76/265 on 23 May 2022 and proclaimed 1 March as the annual observance.
Who proposed World Seagrass Day?
The UN Digital Library identifies Sri Lanka as the author of draft resolution A/76/L.56, which led to A/RES/76/265.
Who facilitates World Seagrass Day?
The establishing resolution invites the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to facilitate the observance.
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