- This pilot initiative is launched to encourage citizen participation in the monitoring of species and habitats of the Natura 2000 Network in Andalusia.
- The reported data will generate knowledge to contribute to the effective management of marine protected areas.
- The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is promoting, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Andalusia, this initiative, whose actions are developed within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation.
The LIFE INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), has launched a volunteer initiative to monitor marine biodiversity in Natura 2000 Network areas in Andalusia.
These actions will contribute to the collection of updated data that will allow the effective and appropriate management of the marine Natura 2000 Network based on information from citizen collaboration. The aim is to involve society in the follow-up and monitoring of marine species and habitats and to involve different agents in improving the management of marine protected areas.
The actions will be carried out at 30 sampling points located in areas of the Natura 2000 Network in Huelva, Cadiz, Malaga, Granada and Almeria, where species included in the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime and some of them in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species will be monitored.
Specifically, the marine phanerogams Cymodocea nodosa and Zostera nolti and the limpets Cymbula nigra or Patella ferruginea, the latter in danger of extinction, will be monitored. Some corals will also be monitored, such as the orange coral, Astroides calycularis, vulnerable to extinction, as well as various gorgonians and other species linked to the marine habitat of community interest known as “Arrecifes”, where a census of the biodiversity of different invertebrates will be carried out. In addition, monitoring of the invasive alga Rugulopteryx okamurae and its impact on marine biodiversity is included.
The sampling methodologies, which have been agreed with the technicians of the Program for Sustainable Management of the Andalusian Marine Environment, have been adapted to citizen participation and will be used to collect data for different platforms, such as the Environmental Information Network of Andalusia (REDIAM) of the Junta de Andalucía, partner of the LIFE INTEMARES project.
The data will also be reported to Observadores del Mar, a platform coordinated by the CSIC, in alliance with the LIFE INTEMARES project. In this citizen science platform, data validated by the scientific community are transferred to the Nature Data Bank, EMODNet Biology and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) to expand knowledge in an open way.
In this way, society is involved and the jointly generated knowledge can be used for effective management of the marine environment.
REGISTRATION PERIOD OPEN
The registration period for the volunteer days will be open from October 2023 to January 2024. It is aimed at all types of public with no need for previous preparation, since it includes from sampling on foot along the coastline to follow some species to diving to follow others. In this case, it is essential to have the required qualification.
Once the applications have been received, a training session will be held open to those who have registered. The volunteer days will take place between March and September 2024 and are expected to mobilize more than 100 people.
Information on participation and registration for this volunteer program can be found at the following link.
The Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge is promoting this initiative, in collaboration with the Regional Government of Andalusia. The Hombre y Territorio organization carries out these actions within the framework of the LIFE INTEMARES project.
EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS
The LIFE INTEMARES project advances towards the efficient management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools.
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge coordinates the project. The Ministry itself, through the General Directorate of Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification, the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Department of Sustainability, Environment and Blue Economy, as well as the Environment and Water Agency; the Spanish Institute of Oceanography; AZTI; the University of Alicante; the Polytechnic University of Valencia; the Spanish Fishing Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF Spain are participating as partners. It is supported by the LIFE Program of the European Union.
Photography: Alejandro Ibáñez Yuste.
