Researchers from different organizations of the Mitec A series of marine habitats qualified as “high ecological value”, together with protected and endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea .
This findings have taken place within the developed oceanographic campaign Due to the general biodiversity, forests and desert formation and the Autonomous Agency National Parks (OAPN) called Mamencab-2024 that had the collaboration of the Spanish Institute for Oceanography (IEO).
In a press release, the Ministry explained that these two -month scientific campaigns were aimed at “between November and December 2024”Progress in preservation and knowledge of the marine environment «.
Marine habitats of protected and endemic species in the Mediterranean Sea
The work was On board the research ship Francisco de Paula Navarro by scientific staff From the Oceanographic Centers of the IEO on Balearic Islands and Murcia, in collaboration with the University of Les Illes Balears (UIB).
For more than a month, the team toured the continental platform of Mallorca, Menorca and the extensive area of the maritime terrestrial park of the Cabrera archipelagoMaking underwater recordings, sediment samples and detailed analysis of the seabed.
New Bentonic Habitats Cartography
Loose The data obtained may have mapped Bentonic habitats of special ecological importance, Such as maërl formations (Rodolitos), Coraligen -areas and areas with the presence of the Laminaria Rodriguezii -Algen, an endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea.
This information It will be the key to updating marine habitat cards and leading management strategies And keep in the vicinity of the National Park and the surrounding waters.
The campaign is part of the Biodiv project, Wide of scientific-technical advice for monitoring marine biodiversity in protected spaces and species of state competence. It is funded by the European Union within the plan for recovery, transformation and resilience (PRTR), coordinated by the general directorate of biodiversity, forests and desert formation of the mitecus and the CSIC by the IEO.
In addition, The developed works respond to the orders of the OAPN on the IEO within the framework of component 4 of the PRT: “Preserving and restoring ecosystems and their biodiversity”, Specifically in investment 1: “Digitization and knowledge of natural heritage”.
This workline is targeted Strengthen scientific knowledge as a basis for effective management of marine ecosystems and habitats.
The results obtained They reinforce the strategic role of the Balearic Archipelago in the marine research of the Western Mediterranean Sea, And consolidate cooperation between scientific institutions and public administrations in favor of the preservation of marine ecosystems.