Cumacean density, biomass and productivity in the sandy bottoms of the Blanes Bay (Western Mediterranean)

During a study on seasonal dynamics and community structure of the sublittoral soft-bottom macroinfauna carried on from 1992 to 1997 in Blanes Bay, ten cumacean species were collected. Density and biomass of Bodotria pulchella, Iphinoe douniae, Pseudocuma longicorne and Pseudocuma simile (the most frequent species) were calculated based on fortnightly samples, from March to September 1992 . Bodotria pulchella showed the highest mean density (47.7 ind. m–2), while its mean biomass (AFDW) was 1.24 mg m–2. Iphinoe douniae showed 35.3 ind. m-2 on average, but its mean biomass was higher than in B. pulchella (2.01 mg m–2) due to its large size. The density and biomass trends varied independently among the four species. However, the corresponding trends for the whole population throughout the five years of study showed higher mean values of abundance and biomass during late spring / early summer. According to an empirical model, the secondary production for the four species ranged between 2.75 and 12.93 mg m–2 yr–1, while the corresponding P/B ratio ranged between 7.1 and 10.8. Although high, these values do not differ from those previously reported for other suprabenthic crustacean populations.Peer reviewe

Buscando el uso sostenible de las playas

Las playas son sistemas naturales sometidos en la actualidad a una gran presión humana y climática. Al igual que otros sistemas costeros desempeñan múltiples funciones ecológicas, siendo tres las más relevantes: actuar como depositarios de biodiversidad, ofrecer protección a la costa, y satisfacer las necesidades humanas de ocio. Considerando las playas como sistemas socio-ecológicos y la Gestión Integrada de Zonas Costeras (GIZC) como la herramienta básica para alcanzar un desarrollo sostenible en la costa, en este trabajo se promueve la aplicación del concepto de sistemas de gestión medioambiental a la gestión específica de las playas ("environmental management systems for beaches, EMSBs"). Para guiar este tipo de gestión, se ha desarrollado un índice de calidad integral de playas ("Beach Quality Index", BQI) que puede ser utilizado como cuadro de mando para la gestión. Adaptando dicho esquema a las visiones particulares de cada playa, podemos movernos hacia una gestión mucho más eco-efectiva y sostenible de estos sistemas.Beaches are ecosystems that are currently under significant human and climatic pressures. As coastal ecosystems they play multiple functions, being three the most important ones: to act as natural reservoirs, to offer coastal protection, and to provide human recreation. Having the idea of beaches as socio-ecological systems and Integrated Coastal Zone Management as the main tool to reach sustainable development in the coastal zone, we are proposing to apply the concept of environmental management systems to the management of beaches (EMSBs). To guide this type of management, we have developed a composite Beach Quality Index (BQI) designed to be used as a hierarchical management scorecard. By adapting this general framework to the particular visions of every managed beach, we can move towards a much more effective and sustainable management of those coastal ecosystem

Structure and diversity of shallow soft-bottom benthic macrofauna in the Gulf of Lions (NW Mediterranean).

14 páginas, 10 figuras, 4 tablas.Samples of soft-sediment macrobenthos from 92 sites between 10 and 50 m depth were used to assess (1) the main soft-bottom macrofauna communities in the Gulf of Lions, (2) the different components of the diversity of benthic macrofauna in this area, and (3) the relevance of the use of major taxonomic groups as surrogates for the analysis of the structure and diversity of total macrofauna. Three main communities were identified by cluster analysis and associated procedures. These communities corresponded well to the assemblages recently identified on the basis of polychaete composition. The a-diversity indices were in accordance with those reported for similar communities in the Mediterranean. Conversely, the b-diversity value was higher than the few other data available in the literature for marine soft-bottom macrofauna. The total number of species in the studied area estimated by the ‘‘total species accumulation curve’’ (TS) method was 2,319, which was only 10% higher than the number obtained by extrapolation of the species–area curve. The similarity matrix based on polychaetes correlated best with the one based on total macrofauna. Polychaetes and crustaceans were also the best surrogates of total macrofauna when assessing a-diversity (except in the case of D*). Conversely, molluscs were the best surrogates of total macrofauna b-diversity. Our results show that the choice of an optimal surrogate for total benthic macrofauna depends on the characteristic of the benthic macrofauna to be studied. Moreover, this choice is also dependent on the environment to be studiedThis work is part of the PhD thesis of Ce´line Labrune. It was carried out within the EC Network of Excellence MARBEF. Ce´line Labrune was supported by the SYSCOLAG project run by the Re´gion Languedoc-Roussillon.Peer reviewe

A multidisciplinary Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Mediterranean to support implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive

29 páginas, 4 figuras, 2 tablas, 1 apéndice.The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) adopted in 2008 aims to protect the marine environment through the holistic Ecosystem Approach (EA). The MSFD requires Member States to develop and implement cost-effective measures to achieve and/or maintain “Good Environmental Status” (GEnS). To this end, interested parties require a large amount of data and this data should be appropriately managed. This is particularly true for EA applications, where data can come from diverse sources, in diverse formats, and from several disciplines. Preliminary steps for supporting reliable multi-disciplinary analysis include data collection, data management, and the implementation of an interoperable sharing system. In an effort to implement this type of multidisciplinary analysis, a working group from the KnowSeas project (www.knowseas.com) created a Spatial Data Infrastructure for the Mediterranean Sea, designed to define and analyze the GEnS concept across various geographical scales. This article describes the implementation of this SDI, demonstrating how an interoperable system can provide strong support in implementing the MSFD under the EA, and how marine spatial planning can assist policymakers in the decision making process.This work was co-funded by the KnowSeas project (grant number 226675) and the EGIDA project (grant number 265124).Peer reviewe

Un esquema metodológico para facilitar el uso de la gestión de riesgos en playas

En este trabajo se propone un esquema metodológico para introducir el anàlisis de riesgos en la gestión integral de playas. La gestión de playas se ha concentrado tradicionalmente en los usos recreativos de éstas sin tener en consideración sus processos geomorfológicos ni otros valores medioambientales, lo que da lugar a que muchas situaciones de riesgo queden excluidas de los processos directos de gestión. Para superar esta situación, se ha estudiado el desarrollo de un enfoque sistémico integrado que evalua al unísono las dimensiones sociales y las dimensiones ecológicas de eventos potenciales de riesgo. En una primera fase, el esquema propone la definición del perfil de riesgo de la playa, donde a partir de la construcción de relaciones causa-efecto se vinculan los posibles eventos de riesgo y se identifican los servicios del ecosistema-playa implicados. En una segunda fase se realiza la evaluación de riesgos, incluyendo su valorización y priorización. Esta herramienta debería servir de ayuda a los gestores para decidir dónde asignar recursos para hacer frente a los riesgos que afectan las diversas funcionalidades de las playas. Se presenta asimismo una validación de esta propuesta en la playa de S’Abanell (Blanes, Girona).Postprint (published version

Business for Ocean Sustainability

Peer reviewe

Los riesgos de la energía eólia para los ecosistemas marinos

Ante el cambio climático, es urgente reducir las emisiones de gases causantes del efecto invernadero. Ello implica reducir el consumo energético y utilizar energías renovables como la eólica marina, señalada por la Unión Europea (UE) como un sector clave de la llamada “economía azul

Business for ocean sustainability: Early responses of ocean governance in the private sector

Este artículo contiene 18 páginas, 2 tablas, 6 figuras.A large sample of 1664 companies—69 directly working in the ocean economy—distributed across 19 industrial sectors was investigated to explore awareness and activation regarding direct and indirect pressures on the ocean, their responses to these pressures, and the disclosure tools used. We examined their accountability and disclosure practices on sustainable development goals (SDGs) using the drivers, pressures, state, welfare, and response accounting framework. Based on their 2019 sustainability reports, just 7% of the companies assessed disclosed on SDG14. However, 51% of these companies can be considered as aware, albeit to varying degrees, of the pressures their industries place on the oceans, 44% deploy mitigating activities, and 26% are aware and actively lead business responses to ocean challenges. Although we have seen just early responses in addressing ocean challenges, companies’ awareness and activation must converge to achieve ocean sustainability and move businesses into a truly blue economy.This research was funded by the One Ocean Foundation (www.1ocean.org), as part of its commitment to the research and diffusion of ocean literacy. Open Access funding provided thanks to the CRUE-CSIC agreement with Springer Nature.Peer reviewe

Long-term (1998–2010) large-scale comparison of the ecological quality status of gulf of lions (NW Mediterranean) benthic habitats

12 páginas, 4 tablas, 8 figuras.A comprehensive Mediterranean data set has been used to address 3 questions associated with the use of sensitivity/tolerance based biotic indices to infer the Ecological Quality status (EcoQs) of benthic habitats. Our results showed: (1) a significant effect of the reference database on derived sensitivity/tolerance measure (ES500.05) as well as associated Benthic Quality Index values and derived EcoQs; (2) a lack of correlation neither between BQI and AZTI Marine Biotic Index values nor between BQI and Multivariate-AZTI Marine Biotic Index values; (3) a lack of correlation between the values of the Benthic Habitat Quality Index (index derived from Sediment Profile Imagery) and those of either of the 3 tested biotic indices; and (4) a general agreement between the 3 tested biotic indices in describing the lack of global trend for the EcoQs of the Gulf of Lions despite the occurrence of significant changes in benthic macrofauna composition between 1998 and 2010.This study has been carried out with financial support from the French National Research Agency (ANR) in the frame of the Investments for the future Programme, within the Cluster of Excellence COTE (ANR-10-LABX-45).Peer reviewe