These underwater meadows of seagrass provide a vital habitat, teeming¹ with wildlife.

这一片片水下的海草地提供了一个重要的栖息地，野生动植物生长繁盛。

 

And it's where you can find the spiny² seahorse. It's a protected species and Studland Bay [UK] is a marine³ conservation zone.

这里，你可以找到刺海马。它是一个受保护的物种，而英国斯塔德兰湾是一个海洋保护区。

 

But boats visiting this popular area off the Dorset coast can create problems.

然而，船只造访多塞特海岸附近的这一热门地区会带来一些问题。

 

Neil Garrick-Maidment, The Seahorse Trust

We've counted up to 450 boats here in one day. It's the noise, the anchors, the general movement of everything seems to affect the seahorses. They're very prone⁴ to stress. If they have a lot of stress, then they move back out to sea.

尼尔·加里克-梅德门特       海马信托基金会（The Seahorse Trust）

“我们在一天之内就统计到多达450艘船。问题在于噪音，抛锚起锚，任何物体的移动似乎都会影响到海马。它们很容易感到压力。如果压力太大，海马就会返回大海。”

 

The wildlife presenter⁵ Steve Backshall has dived here and says boat anchors and mooring⁶ chains can damage the seabed.

野生动植物节目主持人史蒂夫·巴克肖尔曾在这里潜水，他说船锚和锚链会破坏海床。

 

Steve Backshall, naturalist⁷

They completely destroy all the substrate around it, which means that all the seagrass dies. And it gets rid of that, that binding⁸ substrate, which then washes away as sand. And so, you just end up with these big barren circles around all the moorings. And within that nothing can live, and particularly not seahorses.

史蒂夫·巴克肖尔       自然爱好者

“它们会完全破坏海床周围的所有基质，这意味着海草都会死亡。这一过程会带走起粘合作用的基质，然后这些基质会以沙子的形式被冲走。到最后，抛锚停泊地点周围会形成光秃秃的巨大圆圈。在这种条件下，没有生命可以存活，尤其是海马。”

 

So, here's a solution. The Seahorse Trust is installing this environmentally friendly design. Instead of a chain, the mooring is attached to a fixed⁹ point in the seabed via a large elasticated rope that stretches with the tide and minimises damage.

有一个解决方法：海马信托基金会正在安装这种环保设计。船只停泊的地方不接链条，而是通过一条大型弹性绳索连接到海床的固定点上，绳索随潮水伸展，从而将损害降至最低。

 

And if beneficial, it will mean seafarers and seahorses can coexist successfully.

如果这方法能带来好处，那么将意味着海员可以与海马和平共处。

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