36 research outputs found
Cultural Ecosystem Services Provided by Coralligenous Assemblages and Posidonia oceanica in the Italian Seas
Posidonia oceanica meadows and coralligenous reefs are two Mediterranean ecosystems that are recognized as suppliers of valuable ecosystem services (ESs), including cultural services. However, valuation studies on these ecosystems are scarce; rather, studies have mainly focused on provisioning and regulating services. Here we focus on the cultural services provided by P. oceanica and coralligenous assemblages by addressing a specific group of users. Through an online survey submitted to Italian scuba divers, we assess their willingness to pay for a dive in the two ecosystems and how their preferences will change under different degradation scenarios. Diving preferences are assessed using a discrete choice experiment. The results confirmed that ecological knowledge is associated with higher ecosystem values. Moreover, the results confirm and assess how a high degradation of coralligenous and P. oceanica habitats would reduce the value of the underwater environment, by decreasing scuba diver satisfaction and their rate of return visits. Considering a 50% reduction in the coverage of keystone species, the marginal willingness to pay decreased by approximately (sic)56 and (sic)18 for coralligenous reefs and P. oceanica, respectively, while the willingness to pay decreased by approximately (sic)108 and (sic)34, respectively, when there was a total reduction in coverage. Our results can be used to support marine ecosystem based management and the non-destructive use of Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadows and coralligenous reefs
direct and indirect impacts of marine acidification on the ecosystem services provided by coralligenous reefs and seagrass systems
Increasing emissions of CO2 and the resultant ocean acidification (OA) will have large implications for the marine ecosystems sustained by habitat-forming species and their related ecosystem services (ES), with potentially significant impacts on human well-being. Here, we provide an assessment of the direct and indirect impacts of OA on ES. The changes in the functioning of coralligenous reefs and Posidonia oceanica meadows promoted by OA were investigated by i) synthesizing current knowledge into conceptual models. The models were then used to, ii) assessing the impacts of exposure of the selected taxa at the acidification level associated with two CO2 emission scenarios and iii) using the conceptual model outputs to project the cascading impacts from individuals to functions to ES.The results highlight that the combination of the direct and indirect effects of acidification will alter many functions of both coralligenous and P.oceanica systems, triggering habitat modifications and the loss of highly valuable ES.While the exact timing of the expected changes will depend on the severity of the emission scenarios, significant and hardly reversible changes can be expected as quickly as a few decades under the business-as-usual scenario, and many ecosystem services are at risk even under much more conservative scenarios. Keywords: Ocean acidification, Posidonia oceanica, Coralligenous, Ecosystem services, Mediterranean sea, Conceptual model
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Sustainability and Socio-Economic Analysis of Long Line Mussel- Farming in the Gulf of Trieste. Tools for Development of Production Sector
Aquaculture and fisheries are essential resources for the agri-food
production of the north Adriatic coast. In particular mussels farms occupy a
large area of the gulf of Trieste. A total of 16 producers, working in small
cooperatives or individually, utilize 30 vessels on the 15 km of mussels
long-line along the coast. Our study intends to analyze and evaluate the
sustainability of this activity also in relation to its productivity, and to
contribute to development of a tool for the optimization of ecological
sustainability of mussel production. The analysis of sustainability is done
with the application of two different indexes: Ecological Footprint and
Emergy Analysis. Emergy Analysis entails comparison of this activity with
other types of aquaculture (or agriculture), which utilize different methods
to obtain the same final production. The computation of Ecological
Footprint, an index seldomly apply to marine systems, will highlith the
dependency of mussels aquaculture in the Gulf of Trieste from other local
or national resources. The evaluation is based on a data set obtained trough
interviews and questionnaires submitted to the producers, which intended
to evaluate the materials, technologies, methods of production, and
commercial channels, and an official informations from local authorities
Production data have been submitted by public structures and sales
cooperatives (producers).Keywords: Fisheries Economics, Modeling and Economic Theory, Integrated Modeling Approach of Social and Environmental Interactions in Support of Marine Resource ManagementKeywords: Fisheries Economics, Modeling and Economic Theory, Integrated Modeling Approach of Social and Environmental Interactions in Support of Marine Resource Managemen
Nephrops norvegicus in the Adriatic Sea: Connectivity modeling essential fish habitats and management area network
AbstractKnowledge of connectivity among subpopulations is fundamental in the identification of the appropriate geographical scales for stock status evaluation and management, the identification of areas with greater retention rates, and spaceâbased fisheries management. Here, an integration of hydrodynamic, biological, and habitat models results is used to assess connectivity and support the definition of essential fish habitats (EFH) in the Adriatic Sea, with reference to Nephrops norvegicus, an important benthic commercial resource, the recruitment of which is strongly related to larval dispersal from spawning to recruitment areas. We explored oceanographic and biological connectivity in the Adriatic Sea under a wide and representative variety of oceanographic conditions (winters 2006â2012) by tracking 3D trajectories of larvae released from different areas. We used a Lagrangian model that features a specific larval behavior module with explicit dependence on environmental parameters (i.e., temperature and sediment type) and that is driven by highâresolution hydrodynamic and meteorological data. The results were used to partition the area in which Nephrops was observed into 20 homogenous management subareas; to assess the connection between spawning, recruitment, and harvesting grounds; and to identify potential subpopulation boundaries as well as the connectivity among the potential subpopulations. The results suggest the presence of at least three distinct subpopulations, which need to be independently managed and conserved, and confirms that the JabukaâPomo pit is the most important spawning area, but alone it cannot sustain Nephrops populations throughout the Adriatic Sea. The results also show the importance to move from particleâtracking to approaches based on integrated models
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Socio-Economic Analysis, Ecological Impacts and Sustainability of Long Line Mussel-Farming in the Gulf of Trieste
Mussels aquaculture is a relevant activity for the fishery sector of the North
Adriatic. Around 15 km of coastal water of the Gulf of Trieste, Italy, are
used for the mussel long line farming, for a production of about 5000
tonn/year. The aim of this work is to assess sustainability of this activity in
a Ecological-Socio-Economical (ESE) perspective by evaluating the role of
mussels farming in the socio economic system and in the ecological
system. A socio economic analysis has been conducted involving local
stakeholders in meetings, and also by contacting them with bilateral
interviews and questionnaires. Results of questionners, together with
mussels production data declared at the Sanitary authority, and official
economic data, have been used to quantify the economic relevance of the
activity, and problems perceived by local farmers. For the ecological
analysis, we monitored -on monthly basis- mussels growth and water
quality parameters in 6 sites along the gulf. Feeding preference and
faeces/pseudofaeces production, impact on surface sediment ad its
reversibility have been investigated, too. Results have been used to
calibrate a bioenergetic model representing the mussel physiology and
growth in relation to environmental conditions, and the impact of mussel
aquaculture on water column. The integration of the whole set of models
and information will be used to give an evaluation of the ecological
footprint of the activity and as a tool for coastal management.Keywords: Fisheries Economics, Modeling and Economic Theory, Integrated Modeling Approach of Social and Environmental Interactions in Support of Marine Resource ManagementKeywords: Fisheries Economics, Modeling and Economic Theory, Integrated Modeling Approach of Social and Environmental Interactions in Support of Marine Resource Managemen
An overview of ecological status, vulnerability and future perspectives of European large shallow, semi-enclosed coastal systems, lagoons and transitional waters
The paper gives an overview of some of the large, shallow, semi-enclosed coastal systems (SECS) in
Europe, These SECS are important both from the ecological and the economic perspective (socioecological
systems) and provide many valuable ecosystem goods and services.
Although some of the systems are transitional waters under theWater Framework Directive, this is not
the case for all of the systems. The paper adopts a Driver-Pressure-State-Impact-Response approach to
analyse the ecological status, vulnerability and future perspectives of these systems in the context of
global change.This work has been supported by: the EUROMEDLAG federation, http://www.euromedlag.eu/lagoonsfederation/; EC 5FP grant agreement 00084 (DITTY), http://www.ecolag.univ-montp2.
fr/index.php?optionŒcom_content&taskŒview&langŒen&idŒ226; EC 6FP grant agreement 036992 (SPICOSA),www.spicosa.eu/; the LOICZ project, http://www.loicz.org/.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio
The mediterranean sea we want
open58siThis paper presents major gaps and challenges for implementing the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030) in the Mediterranean region. The authors make recommendations on the scientific knowledge needs and co-design actions identified during two consultations, part of the Decade preparatory-phase, framing them in the Mediterranean Seaâs unique environmental and socio-economic perspectives. According to the âMediterranean State of the Environment and Development Report 2020â by the United Nations Environment Programme Mediterranean Action Plan and despite notable progress, the Mediterranean region is not on track to achieve and fully implement the Sustainable Development Goals of Agenda 2030. Key factors are the cumulative effect of multiple human-induced pressures that threaten the ecosystem resources and services in the global change scenario. The basin, identified as a climate change vulnerability hotspot, is exposed to pollution and rising impacts of climate change. This affects mainly the coastal zones, at increasing risk of extreme events and their negative effects of unsustainable management of key economic assets. Transitioning to a sustainable blue economy is the key for the marine environmentâs health and the nourishment of future generations. This challenging context, offering the opportunity of enhancing the knowledge to define science-based measures as well as narrowing the gaps between the Northen and Southern shores, calls for a joint (re)action. The paper reviews the state of the art of Mediterranean Sea science knowledge, sets of trends, capacity development needs, specific challenges, and recommendations for each Decadeâs societal outcome. In the conclusions, the proposal for a Mediterranean regional programme in the framework of the Ocean Decade is addressed. The core objective relies on integrating and improving the existing ocean-knowledge, Ocean Literacy, and ocean observing capacities building on international cooperation to reach the âMediterranean Sea that we wantâ.openCappelletto M.; Santoleri R.; Evangelista L.; Galgani F.; Garces E.; Giorgetti A.; Fava F.; Herut B.; Hilmi K.; Kholeif S.; Lorito S.; Sammari C.; Lianos M.C.; Celussi M.; D'alelio D.; Francocci F.; Giorgi G.; Canu D.M.; Organelli E.; Pomaro A.; Sannino G.; Segou M.; Simoncelli S.; Babeyko A.; Barbanti A.; Chang-Seng D.; Cardin V.; Casotti R.; Drago A.; Asmi S.E.; Eparkhina D.; Fichaut M.; Hema T.; Procaccini G.; Santoro F.; Scoullos M.; Solidoro C.; Trincardi F.; Tunesi L.; Umgiesser G.; Zingone A.; Ballerini T.; Chaffai A.; Coppini G.; Gruber S.; Knezevic J.; Leone G.; Penca J.; Pinardi N.; Petihakis G.; Rio M.-H.; Said M.; Siokouros Z.; Srour A.; Snoussi M.; Tintore J.; Vassilopoulou V.; Zavatarelli M.Cappelletto M.; Santoleri R.; Evangelista L.; Galgani F.; Garces E.; Giorgetti A.; Fava F.; Herut B.; Hilmi K.; Kholeif S.; Lorito S.; Sammari C.; Lianos M.C.; Celussi M.; D'alelio D.; Francocci F.; Giorgi G.; Canu D.M.; Organelli E.; Pomaro A.; Sannino G.; Segou M.; Simoncelli S.; Babeyko A.; Barbanti A.; Chang-Seng D.; Cardin V.; Casotti R.; Drago A.; Asmi S.E.; Eparkhina D.; Fichaut M.; Hema T.; Procaccini G.; Santoro F.; Scoullos M.; Solidoro C.; Trincardi F.; Tunesi L.; Umgiesser G.; Zingone A.; Ballerini T.; Chaffai A.; Coppini G.; Gruber S.; Knezevic J.; Leone G.; Penca J.; Pinardi N.; Petihakis G.; Rio M.-H.; Said M.; Siokouros Z.; Srour A.; Snoussi M.; Tintore J.; Vassilopoulou V.; Zavatarelli M
Copernicus Ocean State Report, issue 6
The 6th issue of the Copernicus OSR incorporates a large range of topics for the blue, white and green ocean for all European regional seas, and the global ocean over 1993â2020 with a special focus on 2020
European policies and legislation targeting ocean acidification in european waters
Ocean acidification (OA) is a global problem with profoundly negative environmental, social and economic consequences. From a governance perspective, there is a need to ensure a coordinated effort to directly address it. This study reviews 90 legislative documents from 17 countries from the European Economic Area (EEA) and the UK that primarily border the sea. The primary finding from this study is that the European national policies and legislation addressing OA is at best uncoordinated. Although OA is acknowledged at the higher levels of governance, its status as an environmental challenge is greatly diluted at the European Union Member State level. As a notable exception within the EEA, Norway seems to have a proactive approach towards legislative frameworks and research aimed towards further understanding OA. On the other hand, there was a complete lack of, or inadequate reporting in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive by the majority of the EU Member States, with the exception of Italy and the Netherlands. We argue that the problems associated with OA and the solutions needed to address it are unique and cannot be bundled together with traditional climate change responses and measures. Therefore, European OA-related policy and legislation must reflect this and tailor their actions to mitigate OA to safeguard marine ecosystems and societies. A stronger and more coordinated approach is needed to build environmental, economic and social resilience of the observed and anticipated changes to the coastal marine systems