The fields of seagrass, Posidonia oceanica – the thickets of green fronds found on the sea bed at many points along the Cretan shoreline – pass mostly unnoticed by visiting tourists, and have until recently been ignored by locals or regarded mainly as a nuisance. Accumulating in large banks thrown up by the winter storms, the dried vegetation is usually cleared by municipal bulldozers so as to restore the pristine aspect of the region’s beaches before the start of the tourist season. In recent years, however, it has been established that Posidonia has a number of important ecological functions. The living meadows provide a refuge and breeding ground for marine creatures, while also absorbing significant quantities of carbon dioxide. The dead plants, if left on beaches, help to prevent erosion, which is a major problem along the island’s northern coastline.