Forests formed by earthy algae of the genera Cystoseira, Ericaria and Gongolaria (Cystoseira forests) create unique seascapes in the shallow depths of the southern European seas, particularly the Mediterranean. The great ecological, economic and social importance of these ecosystems and the services they provide is widely recognized. Its relevance is recognized by several international conventions and directives (Bern Convention, Barcelona Convention, EU Habitats Directive).
The need for monitoring and conservation is recognized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the Mediterranean network of Marine Protected Areas and the European Union (within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive). However, in recent decades, Cystoseira forests have experienced a significant decline throughout the Mediterranean basin, due to the high sensitivity of these algae to some anthropogenic stressors that act on local/regional scales but are widespread throughout the entire Mediterranean basin. the pond. There is general consensus that the impact of these stressors will be further exacerbated by the effects of climate change (mainly in the form of heat waves and episodic extremes).
The development of effective strategies for the conservation of Cystoseira residual forests based on new tools to monitor them is of fundamental importance today. This project has been designed to provide these tools and assist environmental policy makers in the management of Cystoseira forests. Its main objectives are: 1) identify species and/or populations of Cystoseira with high importance from the point of view of conservation, for which special protection measures are necessary, and evaluate their tolerance thresholds to selected environmental stressors; and 2) precisely define the health status of Cystoseira forests based on quantitative metrics. These objectives will be achieved by combining large-scale phylogenomic and population biology studies, field and laboratory experiments testing the responses of Cystoseira species/populations to selected stressors, and field studies investigating many community-level variables. The main new elements of the project will be the use of unmanned aerial vehicles for the mapping of Cystoseira forests, the large-scale characterization of the microbiomes and the environmental DNA associated with these communities, the large-scale phylogeographic characterization of the species of Cystoseira forest formations and active participation of interested parties in research activities and post hoc monitoring of Cystoseira forests.
Key outcomes of the project will include new user-friendly monitoring tools for large-scale use by stakeholders involved in environmental management. The project will be implemented by a consortium of 9 research groups from 6 EU Member States who have acquired extensive knowledge of these ecosystems in the course of previous projects and whose experience covers a wide range of disciplines of marine biology.
