title: Testing methods to support management decisions in coralligenous and cave environments. A case study at Portofino MPA.
abstract: Baseline data on the distribution, condition and extent of coralligenous and cave bioconcretions is one of the main requirements of the European Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) necessary to assess the achievement of a Good Environmental Status (GES) by 2020. In this study the potential of remote sensing and distribution modelling techniques to map, measure descriptors and choose indicators were tested, that could provide standard methods for the assessment of the health status and assist in monitoring activities. It is demonstrated how, by combining different methodologies, it is possible to map the distribution of the bioconcretions with acceptable accuracy and to discriminate the main habitat types and facies. In addition, zonal statistical analysis revealed that fishing activities primarily coincide with areas of high coverage of the bioconcretions. Results demonstrate that the presented methodology is a valuable simple tool to assess several MSFD descriptors and indicators, and could strengthen management efficiency when making informed, ecologically relevant decisions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via. Brecce Bianche - Monte Dago, I-60131 Ancona, Marche, Italy. Electronic address: paula.zapata.r@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Paula A
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Zapata-Ramírez
authors.affiliation: Centro de Estudios Avanzados de Blanes (CEAB-CSIC), Carrer d'Accés a la Cala Sant Francesc, 14, 17300 Blanes, Girona, Spain.
authors.forename: Carla
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Huete-Stauffer
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via. Brecce Bianche - Monte Dago, I-60131 Ancona, Marche, Italy.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Scaradozzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via. Brecce Bianche - Monte Dago, I-60131 Ancona, Marche, Italy.
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marconi
authors.affiliation: Department of Life and Environmental Sciences, Università Politecnica delle Marche, Via. Brecce Bianche - Monte Dago, I-60131 Ancona, Marche, Italy.
authors.forename: Carlo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cerrano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D044822:Biodiversity; D059552:Caves; D003247:Conservation of Natural Resources / Q000379:methods*; D057894:Coral Reefs; D017753:Ecosystem; D004784:Environmental Monitoring / Q000379:methods*; D058735:Environmental Policy; D014876:Water Pollution
keywords: Ecosystem management; Indicators; Models; Monitoring; Portofino marine protected area