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141438 - Marine forests at risk - solutions to halt the loss and promote the recovery.pdf (2.18 MB)

Marine forests at risk: solutions to halt the loss and promote the recovery of Mediterranean canopy-forming seaweeds

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conference contribution
posted on 2023-05-23, 14:49 authored by Airoldi, L, Ballesteros, E, Buonuomo, R, van Belzen, J, Bouma, TJ, Cebrian, E, de Clerk, O, Engelen, AH, Ferrario, F, Fraschetti, S, Gianni, F, Guidetti, P, Ivesa, L, Mancuso, FP, Micheli, F, Perkol-Finkel, S, Serrao, EA, Elisabeth StrainElisabeth Strain, Mangialajo, L
Along Mediterranean coasts, canopy-forming seaweeds used to form diverse, productive and valuable “forest” habitats, but in the past decades conspicuous declines, sometimes to local extinction, have been reported in many regions. Canopies are retracting particularly close to urban areas, and are replaced by turf-forming and ephemeral algae or barrens. The persisting forests are under continued threat, and current protection measures are insufficient. We provide evidence that declines of canopy algae are dramatically extensive, and are driven by multiple local (nutrient enrichment and high sediment loads, fishing, heavy metal pollution) and global stressors (increasing temperature, high wave exposure). We also show that the combined management of local stressors (such as nutrients and sediments) would increase significantly the resilience of canopy algae to future climatic stressors, preventing their further deterioration. Finally, we discuss restoration prospects in areas where these systems have been lost. We conclude identifying the main needs to understand, guide and motivate effective conservation actions in these valuable ecosystems.

History

Publication title

Proceedings of the 5th Mediterranean Symposium on Marine Vegetation

Pagination

28-33

Department/School

Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies

Publisher

United Nations Environment Programme, Mediterranean Action Plan, Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA)

Place of publication

Tunis

Event title

5th Mediterranean Symposium on Marine Vegetation

Event Venue

Portoroz, Slovenia

Date of Event (Start Date)

2014-10-27

Date of Event (End Date)

2014-10-28

Rights statement

Copyright 2014 United Nations Environment Programme, Mediterranean Action Plan, Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA)

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Assessment and management of coastal and estuarine ecosystems; Other environmental policy, climate change and natural hazards not elsewhere classified