Identifying conservation priorities for gorgonian forests in Italian coastal waters with multiple methods including citizen science and social media content analysis

Aim Gorgonian forests are among the most complex of subtidal habitats in the Mediterranean Sea, supporting high biodiversity and providing diverse ecosystem services. Despite their iconic status, the geographical distribution and condition of gorgonian species is poorly known. Using multiple online data sources, our primary aims were to compile, map and analyse observations of gorgonian forests in Italian coastal waters to assess the biological complexity of gorgonian forests, evaluate impacts and vulnerable species, and identify areas of special interest inside and outside of marine protected areas (MPAs) to help prioritize conservation strategies and actions. Location Italy. Mediterranean Sea. Methods Using a multi-source data integration approach, we collected and integrated data from scientific publications, the World Wide Web including social media platforms, citizen science projects and SCUBA diver questionnaires into a unified spatial framework. This method provided up-to-date information on the geographical distribution, abundance, and health of major habitat-forming gorgonian species in Italian coastal waters. Results Higher abundance and complexity of gorgonian species occurred outside MPAs. Areas of Special Interest (n = 167) were identified (80 inside and 87 outside MPAs). Three locations supported all seven focal species: Capo Caccia MPA, Portofino MPA and Catania (unprotected). The purple gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata), the most abundant and geographically widespread species with highest forest complexity, was affected by multiple stressors including thermal stress, disease and fishing. Main conclusions The multi-source approach was a rapid and cost-effective tool to gather, analyse and map disparate data on gorgonian forests spanning 27 years of underwater observations both inside and outside of MPAs. The unique perspective given by this approach demonstrates the suboptimal protection of several habitat-forming gorgonian species. The approach has great potential for wider application and offers a more inclusive participatory model for crowdsourcing and repurposing under-utilized observations while also increasing ocean literacy

CROPS: changing the scale of citizen science towards the transnational level

Citizen science has become a proven method across a range of scientific disciplines, able to collect new and complementary data which enhances and adds context to existing scientific methods. By upscaling to a transnational level, citizen science could collect, analyse and exploit a vast amount of data across Europe and beyond, achieving a higher impact through creating a multinational community of citizen scientists. However, many citizen science initiatives start at a small-scale, facing technical and practical challenges when attempting to upscale to a wider level, with current EU mechanisms not providing the support or resources required to assist their effort. The CROPS project (crops-cs.eu) will evolve the EU Research & Innovation system so that it can support the transition of citizen science from small-scale to a Europe-wide level, changing it towards a modern, open-science approach. CROPS consists of four activities: (i) appraisal of existing citizen science, their activities and their suitability for upscaling; (ii) creation of protocols and guidance for the upscaling of citizen science, replicating and building on best practice that exists; (iii) providing guidance regarding practical considerations such as open data sharing, sustainability, RRI and diverse funding opportunities; and (iv) development of transnational citizen science communities, including establishing societal coalitions and prospective citizen science champions to raise awareness of the potential of citizen science when addressing Horizon Europe EU Mission goal

Integrated Research for Integrated Ocean Management

With the start of the United Nations (UN) Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development in 2021, research priorities to support the sustainable use of coastal and ocean resources and their conservation are in the spotlight. However, to date comprehensive regulation and management of multifaceted and multi-used ecosystems has proven challenging. This is partly due to the complexity of coastal and ocean social-ecological systems (SES), as well as the multitude of approaches to manage those spaces. In order to address such challenges, magnified by often-conflicting interests between economic activities and nature conservation, there is an urgent need for integrated approaches that bridge the gap between science, policy and society, as well as across different epistemological boundaries set by various management approaches. Consequently, the interest in multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary research approaches at the national and international levels has been growing. In light of the recently started Decade of Ocean Science, this paper aims at providing key considerations for research approaches that tackle the outlined challenges in managing the ocean space. From a survey targeted at projects and initiatives that apply multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary approaches, we draw examples of challenges and good-practices. Based on this, we propose three key considerations for an integrated research approach, including (1) target setting, resource management, and adaptive planning; (2) knowledge production and responsiveness toward policy and society; and (3) co-design, co-development, cooperation, as well as effective communication. The considerations laid out in this paper are aimed at the effective translation between science, policy, and society in support of sustainable coastal and ocean governance within the Decade of Ocean Science.ISSN:2296-774