The Mediterranean and the Atlantic are home to underwater forests of species that, although they may look like plants, belong to the animal kingdom.

The Mediterranean and the Atlantic are home to underwater forests of species that, although they may look like plants, belong to the animal kingdom. This is the case of gorgonians, also known as sea fans.

Their wooded shape may be misleading, but in reality they are colonies of polyps that develop into a resistant skeleton made up of gorgonin, a protein that they secrete to grow with a structure that allows them to have a larger area to capture the plankton they feed on.

In Europe, more than 500 described species have been recorded, of which more than 200 live in the Mediterranean, on rocky bottoms or walls from 10 to 100 meters deep.

The multitude of colors and shapes of the coral and gorgonian communities overwhelms with its beauty. This was reported by scientists from the LIFE+ INDEMARES project who embarked on the oceanographic campaign of the Menorca Channel, where gorgonians were present especially in underwater canyons. Lesser-known communities have been found in this Site of Community Importance (SCI), such as the yellow gorgonian Paramuricea macrospina, which fishermen call “pinets” (pine trees).

Gorgonians need cold waters, so they are especially vulnerable to the effects of global warming on the sea. In fact, in the Mediterranean they have suffered massive mortality due to changes in water temperature, according to some studies.

Its threats also include bycatch, polluting waste runoff into coastal waters, and the spread of invasive alien species. 

Due to the decline in Mediterranean populations, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) urges urgent measures to safeguard gorgonians and corals, which play an important role in the marine by providing shelter and food for many species.

In order to halt its decline and promote its protection, the LIFE IP INTEMARES project will develop a set of actions in the coming years. Specifically, actions will be carried out to restore coastal and deep gorgonian populations, in areas such as the Cañón de Creus in Catalonia. To this end, the sectors involved, including fishermen, divers and scientists, will participate. Likewise, the citizen science program will also contribute to improving the knowledge of these species to promote their conservation.

The largest marine conservation project

LIFE IP INTEMARES, the largest marine environment conservation project in Europe, aims to achieve a network of marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, managed effectively, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools for decision-making. It is coordinated by the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment, through the Biodiversity Foundation, which also acts as a partner through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea.

The Spanish Institute of Oceanography, WWF-Spain, SEO/BirdLife and the Spanish Fisheries Confederation participate as partners. It has the financial contribution of the European Union’s LIFE Programme, as well as the European Social Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, among other sources of funding.