Flo Stadler, 36, an IT engineer and campaign leader of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd, and Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, bundle and store harvested seagrass shoots from a donor meadow during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green large parts of the Baltic Sea, near Kiel, Germany July 1, 2023. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. "Our aim is to scale it up after this pilot period," said Stevenson. "The ultimate goal is to re-green the Baltic Sea." REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Isabella Provera, a PhD student, lifts flowering seagrass after washing it, in the lab at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, July 10, 2023. The collected seagrass remains in a tank at the lab for around six weeks until seeds can be harvested. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, teaches a lesson on seagrass planting to members of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd at their camp in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 1, 2023. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. Stevenson guided the citizen divers to plant 2,500 shoots during the weekend. "Our aim is to scale it up after this pilot period," said Stevenson. "The ultimate goal is to re-green the Baltic Sea." REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, and students Isabella Provera, 29, and Miriam Merk, 26 (L-R) sit in a boat as they collect flowering seagrass near Laboe, Germany, July 10, 2023. "Scientists ask questions about the environment and the society and solve problems in a systematic way. But teaching citizens and the implementation of the method is not necessarily our job. But then I asked myself, who else is going to do this?" said Stevenson. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

A marine scientist for GEOMAR snorkels back to the boat after collecting flowering seagrass to harvest the seeds, in Laboe, Germany, July 17, 2023. Europe alone lost one third of its seagrass areas between the 1860s and 2016, one 2019 study found, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and speeding up global warming. While there are other initiatives to restore the plants worldwide, the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project in Kiel, run by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research is one of the first that aims to enable citizens to do so autonomously. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, demonstrates the seagrass planting technique to members of maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green the Baltic Sea in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 2, 2023. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. Stevenson guided the citizen divers to plant 2,500 shoots during the weekend. "Our aim is to scale it up after this pilot period," said Stevenson. "The ultimate goal is to re-green the Baltic Sea." REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, dives with a bunch of flowering seagrass she has collected, in Laboe, Germany July 10, 2023. The group of scientists collect seeds for research into planting the seeds and breeding a more heat resistant seagrass for the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. "Scientists ask questions about the environment and the society and solve problems in a systematic way. But teaching citizens and the implementation of the method is not necessarily our job. But then I asked myself, who else is going to do this?" said Stevenson. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Flowering seagrass, collected to harvest the seeds, floats in a tank at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research in Kiel, Germany, July 11, 2023. The collected seagrass will remain in the tank for around six weeks until seeds can be harvested. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Lea Verfondern, 21, a veterinary assistant and member of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd looks out to sea as she prepares her diving gear before planting seagrass during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green the Baltic Sea in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 2, 2023. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. "It's like underwater gardening," said Verfondern "Everyone should make a contribution to protecting the environment because it ... affects us all,". REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Tadhg O'Corcora, 38, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, looks out to sea as he travels on a boat to collect flowering seagrass, in Laboe, Germany, July 10, 2023. O'Corcora aims to collect 1 million seeds this season for research into planting the seeds and breeding a more heat resistant seagrass for the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

A member of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd wades through shallow water to plant seagrass shoots during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green the Baltic Sea in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 2, 2023. Europe alone lost one third of its seagrass areas between the 1860s and 2016, one 2019 study found, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and speeding up global warming. While there are other initiatives to restore the plants worldwide, the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project in Kiel, run by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research is one of the first that aims to enable citizens to do so autonomously. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Tadhg O'Corcora, 38, a marine Scientist for GEOMAR, looks for flowering seagrass, in Laboe, Germany July 10, 2023. "Restoration is returning to something to what it was before. We know that there was seagrass in this places before. Once it was a good habitat for seagrass and once it was lost. We do an assessment of the conditions and try to work out why it was lost." Said O'Corcora. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

The sun lights up a seagrass meadow close to the beach of Falckenstein, near Kiel, Germany, July 10, 2023. Europe alone lost one third of its seagrass areas between the 1860s and 2016, one 2019 study found, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and speeding up global warming. While there are other initiatives to restore the plants worldwide, the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project in Kiel, run by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research is one of the first that aims to enable citizens to do so autonomously. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, stands in a seagrass meadow while collecting flowering seagrass, in Laboe, Germany, July 10, 2023. Water pollution has caused algae growth and became a threat to the seagrass that rely on light for photosynthesis. "Scientists ask questions about the environment and the society and solve problems in a systematic way. But teaching citizens and the implementation of the method is not necessarily our job. But then I asked myself, who else is going to do this?" said Stevenson. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Lea Verfondern, 21, a veterinary assistant and member of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd, hands over bags with seagrass shoots to marine scientists Angela Stevenson, 39, and Tadhg O'Corcora, 38, during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green the Baltic Sea in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 2, 2023. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. "It's like underwater gardening," said Verfondern "Everyone should make a contribution to protecting the environment because it ... affects us all,". REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

A member of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd, holds a bundle of seagrass shoots under water while planting, during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green the Baltic Sea in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 2, 2023. Despite harsh wind conditions and a visibility of only 20 centimetres underwater the citizen divers planted 2,500 shoots during the weekend. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Bundles of harvested seagrass shoots float in a cooler during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green large parts of the Baltic Sea, in Maasholm, Northern Germany July 2, 2023. Europe alone lost one third of its seagrass areas between the 1860s and 2016, one 2019 study found, releasing carbon into the atmosphere and speeding up global warming. While there are other initiatives to restore the plants worldwide, the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project in Kiel, run by the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research is one of the first that aims to enable citizens to do so autonomously. REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

Angela Stevenson, 39, a marine scientist for GEOMAR, holds a bundle of seagrass shoots during a two-day citizen diver course in Maasholm, Northern Germany, July 2, 2023. The citizen diver course is part of the SeaStore Seagrass Restoration Project at GEOMAR and is one of the first initiatives to teach and enable citizens to restore seagrass autonomously. Stevenson guided the citizen divers to plant 2,500 shoots during the weekend. "Our aim is to scale it up after this pilot period," said Stevenson. "The ultimate goal is to re-green the Baltic Sea." REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Martin Lampe, 52, an IT technician and member of the maritime conservation group Sea Shepherd, shakes sediment off seagrass shoots, which were harvested from a donor meadow, before planting them during a two-day citizen diver course that aims to re-green large parts of the Baltic Sea, near Kiel, Germany July 1, 2023. Lampe said the Baltic Sea had changed so much since he went diving there in his youth that he felt he had no choice but to help out. "Days like today show me we really can get a handle on the situation if enough people contribute,". REUTERS/Lisi Niesner SEARCH "NIESNER SEAGRASS" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY