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Sebadales are essential for marine ecosystems and the environment due to their great ecological value. Today they are in danger of disappearing from the waters of the Canary Islands, due to both water pollution and uncontrolled construction and discharges. This problem is increased by the lack of knowledge of these ecosystems by a large part of the population. The island of Tenerife is a clear example of this situation, according to the Innoceana organization.

The Innomapas project, through the use of participatory technology and citizen science, combined with Innoceana’s scientific work, has made it possible to obtain innovative and digital information that visually describes the state of health of the sebadales of the Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) “Sebadales de Antequera and Sebadales de San Andrés”, also generating connections and synergies with local authorities and organizations and with the University of La Laguna.

The general objective of the project is to give continuity to the development of the Innomapas methodology that Innoceana began in 2020, this time in a different but very close location and with similar problems such as the San Andrés and Antequera seadas, two Special Areas of Conservation in Tenerife. This methodology seeks to involve the local population in the conservation of the sandy ecosystems of Tenerife, more specifically the sebadal. Through this project, citizen science and innovative science activities have been carried out, from monitoring to the generation of material. Another of the main purposes of the project has been to study for the first time on the island the impact of microplastics on the sebadal.

The specific objectives were as follows:

• To contribute to the conservation and knowledge of the state of the sebadal, a vulnerable species according to the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species (CEEA). This action includes the promotion and development of innovative monitoring techniques, carrying out such monitoring in a participatory way, studying the patches of sebadales and involving ecotourism and the local population, especially university students, divers and fishermen.
• To raise awareness among the local population, in general, and stakeholders, in particular, about the critical situation of the sebadal, its degree of conservation, the impact of microplastics on it and the importance at the ecosystem level. The intention is to understand the importance of this natural habitat, and that this project will result in new innovative conservation strategies and even a possible restoration of the ecosystem.
• Know and integrate all the existing efforts and knowledge about the sebadales that the local population has, from diving centers, fishermen and locals in general, to universities and even schools. Collect all this relevant information to improve the baseline in a way that helps restoration strategies in the project’s Special Areas of Conservation (SACs).
• To publicize the state of biodiversity of the proposed Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) by developing an interactive platform for education and scientific dissemination, with interactive maps of the wetlands, which in turn serves as a clear baseline for monitoring and can be used as an awareness-raising tool. This tool will be twinned with the Network of Marine Environment Observers in the Canary Islands (PROMAR Network), a tool of the Government of the Canary Islands for the monitoring and surveillance of marine life in the archipelago.

• Execution of the scientific and participatory monitoring of the “patches” of sebadales of the Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) “Sebadales de Antequera” and “Sebadales de San Andrés”. Among other actions, 24 3D models of the sebadal fragments and an anthropogenic structure representing the pressure of the anchorages were created; a report was written on the quality of the waters at different times of the year, 8 3D videos were made during the samplings and a mapping was carried out by aerial photography of the Special Area of Conservation “Sebadales de Antequera” in the month of June. During the execution of this action, 35 sightings of fauna and flora were reported in the SACs under study, recording the presence, among other species, of the angelshark shark (Squatina squatina), 5 individuals of pejepipa (Sygnathus sp.), the invasive algae Caulerpa racemosa, as well as other species of algae (including Halimeda incrassata, a possible candidate to be included as an invader in the future, according to the entity).
• Development of the digital and interactive Innomapas as a digital platform and update of the INNOMAPAS 2020 monitoring protocol: an aerial photograph of the SAC area “Sebadales de Antequera” was obtained with the presence of several fragments of sebadal in the month of June; 8 virtual marine tours were carried out with different scenarios and a digital animation was developed representing an ecosystem with and without sebadal, in order to be used as an educational resource. A fiction mini-documentary was also made depicting a possible future in which the sebadal disappears and an interactive book about the angel shark. Finally, the protocols followed for the different phases of the project (3D modelling, updating of cartography, water quality, microplastic sampling, aerial photogrammetry) were drafted, with factors to take into account and possible improvements, as well as reports of the results obtained in the campaigns and a final report that includes everything learned.
• Conducting visits and interviews to five dive centers; a fishermen’s guild; a school; three universities; two other educational institutions; 3 spokes; 4 companies and 8 associations with the aim of announcing the project and looking for interested parties in participation. A total of 97 volunteers were recruited who were subsequently trained in the corresponding techniques and methodologies to participate in the monitoring and who contributed throughout the different phases of the initiative.
• Collection and analysis of existing information on the sandy ecosystems of the Canary Islands: 57 articles covering different aspects of the project were reviewed and information on the two Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) under study was collected.
• Dissemination, dissemination and communication of the actions and results of the project.

Thanks to this project, the extent and current state of conservation of the sebadal located in the north-east of Tenerife has been verified. The use of photogrammetry-based mapping techniques, combined with the use of participatory monitoring, represents an important advance in monitoring the state of conservation of these ecosystems.

In this way, the initiative has managed to update the existing information on the extension and state of the sebadal of the Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) “Sebadales de San Andrés” and “Sebadales de Antequera” through the participation of 97 volunteers in total and developing new methodologies for the monitoring of this ecosystem, with a total of 210 hours of monitoring. During the development of the project, the proliferation of algae in this area has been recorded and the potential pressure caused by uncontrolled anchoring on Antequera Beach has been detected. Due to this problem, the entity submitted to the authorities a proposal for the establishment of regulatory fixed anchorages to prevent the anchors of the vessels from damaging the sebadal patches, directly reducing their erosion and loss.

Likewise, the project has served to study habitats of biological interest along 1110 sandbanks permanently covered by seawater. In addition, it has served to contribute to the conservation of two threatened species: the seba (Cymodocea nodosa), a Canarian population included in the List of Wild Species under Special Protection Regime (LESPRE) and considered vulnerable in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species and Species of Interest for the Canary Islands Ecosystems in the Canary Islands Catalogue of Protected Species; and the angelshark shark (Squatina squatina), a Canarian population included in the LESPRE and considered endangered in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species.

Finally, the project has made a significant effort in aspects of dissemination, training, citizen participation and awareness, generating numerous resources and information that will serve both to contribute to the conservation of these wetlands and to promote public awareness of this habitat.