China's first website on seagrass ( http://seagrass.scsio.ac.cn) was opened recently after a three-month trail operation. Funded by UNEP/GEF project of "Reversing Environmental Degradation Trends in the South China Sea and Gulf of Thailand" and the State Environmental Protection Administration of China, it has received general support from the CAS South China Sea Institute of Oceanology.

In both Chinese and English editions, the website has such columns as seas grass project information, demonstration sites, seagrass information, seagrass in China and information release.

The website introduces the basic characteristics, ecological function, economic value of seagrass; the basic conditions, protection and management of China's seagrass; species, distribution, area of seagrass in the South China and threats they are facing; and China's Seagrass Protection Action Plan (draft). It also provides information on the basic conditions of UNEP/GEF Hepu Seagrass Demonstration site, Guangxi Province, including its constitution of management board, its aims and targets, main actions and prospective achievements.

The China seagrass website, as a part of the working contents of Guangxi Hepu Seagrass Demonstration Site funded by UNEP/GEF, will play an important role in the publicity and education for the protection and sustainable use of seagrass resources. In addition, it offers reports on fresh research progresses in the field at home and abroad. It serves as a new channel for information exchanges for the researchers, organizations and personnel engaging in the field of environmental protection.