scholarly journals Recent monitoring data of Posidonia oceanica meadows distributed along the Apulian coasts (Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea) according to the 2000/60 EC Directive

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaetano Costantino ◽  
Nicola Ungaro ◽  
Massimo Blonda ◽  
Marina Mariani ◽  
Daniela Battista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
National Level ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Italian Law ◽  
Sampling Procedures

According to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), a specific monitoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows was carried out along the Apulian coasts by the Regional Agency for the Environmental Prevention and Protection (ARPA Puglia). A total of 17 sites, 11 in the Southern Adriatic Sea and 6 in the Northern Ionian Sea were investigated during two consecutive monitoring cycles (2009-2011 and 2012-2014). Sampling procedures as well as laboratory analyses (phenology and lepidochronology) were carried out according to a common methodological protocol shared at Italian national level (D.M. 260/2010) for the final ecological classification (sensu WFD) using the PREI index. In each meadow, two sampling stations were investigated by scuba divers at the fixed depth of 15 m and in correspondence of the lower bathymetric distribution limit. For each station, 9 shoots counting (40x40 cm square) and 3 covering estimates (around 5 m of radius) were carried out. In addition, 18 orthotropic shoots and a sediment sample were collected as well as some other bio-ecological data (meadow continuity, dead matte presence, bottom type, invasive algae presence, flowering, disturbance sources, lower limit type and depth). The results showed that 29% of sites were classified as “GOOD”, 59% were classified as ”MODERATE” while the remaining 12% as “POOR”, with a general slight improvement of the classification in the last monitoring cycle (2012-2014). Although the ecological quality status of the Apulian Posidonia oceanica meadows (summarized by the PREI index values) reflects the distribution of anthropic pressures on the coast (harbours, industrial and urbanized areas, river’s outlets) along a latitudinal gradient, the classification based on the rules (reference conditions and EQR boundaries for the PREI index) reported in the Italian law (D.M. 260/2010) seems to underestimate the real ecological status. Consequently, a revision of both the actual reference conditions and EQR boundaries is suggested for the BQE Posidonia oceanica in the Apulian marine waters, in order to taking account of the environmental features of two different marine basins as the south-western Adriatic Sea and the north-western Ionian Sea.

scholarly journals Recent monitoring data of Posidonia oceanica meadows distributed along the Apulian coasts (Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea) according to the 2000/60 EC Directive

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaetano Costantino ◽  
Nicola Ungaro ◽  
Massimo Blonda ◽  
Marina Mariani ◽  
Daniela Battista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
National Level ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Italian Law ◽  
Sampling Procedures

According to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), a specific monitoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows was carried out along the Apulian coasts by the Regional Agency for the Environmental Prevention and Protection (ARPA Puglia). A total of 17 sites, 11 in the Southern Adriatic Sea and 6 in the Northern Ionian Sea were investigated during two consecutive monitoring cycles (2009-2011 and 2012-2014). Sampling procedures as well as laboratory analyses (phenology and lepidochronology) were carried out according to a common methodological protocol shared at Italian national level (D.M. 260/2010) for the final ecological classification (sensu WFD) using the PREI index. In each meadow, two sampling stations were investigated by scuba divers at the fixed depth of 15 m and in correspondence of the lower bathymetric distribution limit. For each station, 9 shoots counting (40x40 cm square) and 3 covering estimates (around 5 m of radius) were carried out. In addition, 18 orthotropic shoots and a sediment sample were collected as well as some other bio-ecological data (meadow continuity, dead matte presence, bottom type, invasive algae presence, flowering, disturbance sources, lower limit type and depth). The results showed that 29% of sites were classified as “GOOD”, 59% were classified as ”MODERATE” while the remaining 12% as “POOR”, with a general slight improvement of the classification in the last monitoring cycle (2012-2014). Although the ecological quality status of the Apulian Posidonia oceanica meadows (summarized by the PREI index values) reflects the distribution of anthropic pressures on the coast (harbours, industrial and urbanized areas, river’s outlets) along a latitudinal gradient, the classification based on the rules (reference conditions and EQR boundaries for the PREI index) reported in the Italian law (D.M. 260/2010) seems to underestimate the real ecological status. Consequently, a revision of both the actual reference conditions and EQR boundaries is suggested for the BQE Posidonia oceanica in the Apulian marine waters, in order to taking account of the environmental features of two different marine basins as the south-western Adriatic Sea and the north-western Ionian Sea.

scholarly journals Recent monitoring data of Posidonia oceanica meadows distributed along the Apulian coasts (Eastern-Central Mediterranean Sea) according to the 2000/60 EC Directive

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gaetano Costantino ◽  
Nicola Ungaro ◽  
Massimo Blonda ◽  
Marina Mariani ◽  
Daniela Battista ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
National Level ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Ecological Data ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
Italian Law ◽  
Sampling Procedures

According to the Water Framework Directive (WFD), a specific monitoring of Posidonia oceanica meadows was carried out along the Apulian coasts by the Regional Agency for the Environmental Prevention and Protection (ARPA Puglia). A total of 17 sites, 11 in the Southern Adriatic Sea and 6 in the Northern Ionian Sea were investigated during two consecutive monitoring cycles (2009-2011 and 2012-2014). Sampling procedures as well as laboratory analyses (phenology and lepidochronology) were carried out according to a common methodological protocol shared at Italian national level (D.M. 260/2010) for the final ecological classification (sensu WFD) using the PREI index. In each meadow, two sampling stations were investigated by scuba divers at the fixed depth of 15 m and in correspondence of the lower bathymetric distribution limit. For each station, 9 shoots counting (40x40 cm square) and 3 covering estimates (around 5 m of radius) were carried out. In addition, 18 orthotropic shoots and a sediment sample were collected as well as some other bio-ecological data (meadow continuity, dead matte presence, bottom type, invasive algae presence, flowering, disturbance sources, lower limit type and depth). The results showed that 29% of sites were classified as “GOOD”, 59% were classified as ”MODERATE” while the remaining 12% as “POOR”, with a general slight improvement of the classification in the last monitoring cycle (2012-2014). Although the ecological quality status of the Apulian Posidonia oceanica meadows (summarized by the PREI index values) reflects the distribution of anthropic pressures on the coast (harbours, industrial and urbanized areas, river’s outlets) along a latitudinal gradient, the classification based on the rules (reference conditions and EQR boundaries for the PREI index) reported in the Italian law (D.M. 260/2010) seems to underestimate the real ecological status. Consequently, a revision of both the actual reference conditions and EQR boundaries is suggested for the BQE Posidonia oceanica in the Apulian marine waters, in order to taking account of the environmental features of two different marine basins as the south-western Adriatic Sea and the north-western Ionian Sea.

scholarly journals Deep-Water Cartilaginous Fishes in the Central Mediterranean Sea: Comparison between Geographic Areas with Two Low Impact Tools for Sampling

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 686
Author(s):  
Angela Carluccio ◽  
Francesca Capezzuto ◽  
Porzia Maiorano ◽  
Letizia Sion ◽  
Gianfranco D’Onghia
Keyword(s):  
Adriatic Sea ◽  
Fish Habitat ◽  
Conservation Status ◽  
Abundant Species ◽  
Cartilaginous Fish ◽  
Fish Diversity ◽  
Ionian Sea ◽  
Central Mediterranean ◽  
The North ◽  
North Western

Baited lander represents a low impact technique, an alternative to the traditional trawl sampling for collecting data on fish diversity and abundance, especially for threatened species such as Chondrichthyes living in sensitive habitats. In this study, distribution and abundance of cartilaginous fish were compared between two geographic areas, the southern Adriatic Sea and the north-western Ionian Sea, with two low impact sampling gears, an experimental bottom longline and a baited lander. Species diversity was evaluated by applying ecological indices and difference in mean abundances were tested using multivariate analysis. A total of 13 species of cartilaginous fish were collected. Significant differences in the assemblage recorded in the same area using different sampling tools were detected and no significant differences were detected among different areas explored with the same method. Using longline, the most abundant species collected in both areas was Galeus melastomus, while using lander, the most observed species were Dalatias licha in the southern Adriatic Sea and Hexanchus griseus in the north-western Ionian Sea. According to IUCN classification, of the 13 species collected, 2 are near threatened and 5 are threatened. A better governance of sensitive habitats coinciding with the essential fish habitat for these species would ensure them a better conservation status.

scholarly journals An environmental database for the status of freshwater in Greece

2013 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-14
Keyword(s):  
National Level ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressures ◽  
Environmental Pressures ◽  
Physico Chemical ◽  
Other Information ◽  
The Status ◽  
Freshwater Bodies ◽  
Status Data

An environmental database has been created, recording water bodies at a national level and assembling relevant data collected by various public services and institutions in charge of water resources management and research in Greece. Data consists of physico-chemical parameters, geomorphological descriptions, inventories of fauna and flora species, environmental pressures, vulnerability evaluation and other information useful for the assessment of current and future ecological status. Data gathering has proven to be a challenging task, due to the large number and the generally small size of the surface freshwater bodies as well as the numerous competent services and institutions and the multiple and sometimes conflicting responsibilities that therefore result. The latter is also partly the cause of lack of continuity of data, gaps or sometimes questionable reliability. Performing a global data overview, we note that (a) ecological status can be characterized as good for the majority of the sites, especially for small mountain streams, and (b) the general trend in most cases is degradation of current conditions, related either to anthropogenic pressures or to human activity combined with natural factors. This database, in a more completed and enriched form, could assist in the implementation of 2000/60/EC Directive in Greece and the establishment of reference conditions of surface freshwater systems.

scholarly journals Seagrass ecosystems status between the sliding baseline syndrome and the need for reference conditions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Montefalcone ◽  
Matteo Vacchi ◽  
Carla Morri ◽  
Marco Ferrari ◽  
Carlo Nike Bianchi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Historical Information ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
The Status ◽  
Seagrass Ecosystems

Marine coastal ecosystems are facing compositional and functional changes due to the increasing human footprint worldwide, and the assessment of their long-term changes becomes particularly challenging in this new "Anthropocene Epoch". Measures of change can be done by comparing the present ecosystem status to a defined baseline representing the reference condition. The "syndrome" of the sliding (or shifting) baselines, which describes the incremental lowering of ecological standards, has become a major concern when long-term changes have to be assessed because an already degraded environment status could be accepted as reference. The challenge of delineating ecosystems change in the context of sliding baselines is particularly relevant along highly anthropized coasts, as the case of the Liguria (NW Mediterranean Sea), where pristine coastal areas could not be expected anymore. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EEC) suggests three approaches to define reference conditions: i) comparison with the status in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); ii) use of historical information; iii) modelling. Here we report recent applications of these three approaches in Liguria to assess the status of seagrass meadow ecosystem. Ligurian MPAs are too recent and often insufficiently enforced, so that Posidonia oceanica meadows developing in MPAs are far from the expected good ecological status. Available historical information on seagrass distribution was sometime unreliable. Models are promising but face intellectual difficulties (e.g., choice of descriptors). Validating historical data with predictive models showed effective in delineating the trajectory of change experienced by the Ligurian seagrass meadows. Many meadows have been lost and most are showing structural degradation, which favoured the substitution by alien green algae of the genus Caulerpa and triggered a phase shift in the seagrass ecosystems, with the consequent loss of biodiversity, functioning and economic value of the ecosystem services provided by healthy meadows.

scholarly journals Seagrass ecosystems status between the sliding baseline syndrome and the need for reference conditions

2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monica Montefalcone ◽  
Matteo Vacchi ◽  
Carla Morri ◽  
Marco Ferrari ◽  
Carlo Nike Bianchi
Keyword(s):  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Posidonia Oceanica ◽  
Historical Information ◽  
Functional Changes ◽  
Seagrass Meadows ◽  
Long Term Changes ◽  
The Status ◽  
Seagrass Ecosystems

Marine coastal ecosystems are facing compositional and functional changes due to the increasing human footprint worldwide, and the assessment of their long-term changes becomes particularly challenging in this new "Anthropocene Epoch". Measures of change can be done by comparing the present ecosystem status to a defined baseline representing the reference condition. The "syndrome" of the sliding (or shifting) baselines, which describes the incremental lowering of ecological standards, has become a major concern when long-term changes have to be assessed because an already degraded environment status could be accepted as reference. The challenge of delineating ecosystems change in the context of sliding baselines is particularly relevant along highly anthropized coasts, as the case of the Liguria (NW Mediterranean Sea), where pristine coastal areas could not be expected anymore. The Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD, 2008/56/EEC) suggests three approaches to define reference conditions: i) comparison with the status in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs); ii) use of historical information; iii) modelling. Here we report recent applications of these three approaches in Liguria to assess the status of seagrass meadow ecosystem. Ligurian MPAs are too recent and often insufficiently enforced, so that Posidonia oceanica meadows developing in MPAs are far from the expected good ecological status. Available historical information on seagrass distribution was sometime unreliable. Models are promising but face intellectual difficulties (e.g., choice of descriptors). Validating historical data with predictive models showed effective in delineating the trajectory of change experienced by the Ligurian seagrass meadows. Many meadows have been lost and most are showing structural degradation, which favoured the substitution by alien green algae of the genus Caulerpa and triggered a phase shift in the seagrass ecosystems, with the consequent loss of biodiversity, functioning and economic value of the ecosystem services provided by healthy meadows.

scholarly journals Land-use and agriculture in Denmark around year 1900 and the quest for EU Water Framework Directive reference conditions in coastal waters

AMBIO ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bent T. Christensen ◽  
Birger F. Pedersen ◽  
Jørgen E. Olesen ◽  
Jørgen Eriksen
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Water Framework Directive ◽  
Coastal Waters ◽  
Root Zone ◽  
Reference Conditions ◽  
Ecological Status ◽  
Agricultural Activity ◽  
Eu Water Framework Directive ◽  
Alternative Approach ◽  
The Eu

AbstractThe EU Water Framework Directive (WFD) aims to protect the ecological status of coastal waters. To establish acceptable boundaries between good and moderate ecological status, the WFD calls for reference conditions practically undisturbed by human impact. For Denmark, the nitrogen (N) concentrations present around year 1900 have been suggested to represent reference conditions. As the N load of coastal waters relates closely to runoff from land, any reduction in load links to agricultural activity. We challenge the current use of historical N balances to establish WFD reference conditions and initiate an alternative approach based on parish-level land-use statistics collected 1896/1900 and N concentrations in root zone percolates from experiments with year 1900-relevant management. This approach may be more widely applicable for landscapes with detailed historic information on agricultural activity. Using this approach, we find an average N concentration in root zone percolates that is close to that of current agriculture. Thus, considering Danish coastal waters to be practically unaffected by human activity around year 1900 remains futile as 75% of the land area was subject to agricultural activity with a substantial potential for N loss to the environment. It appears unlikely that the ecological state of coastal waters around year 1900 may serve as WFD reference condition.

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