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According to the Foundation Institute of Environmental Hydraulics of Cantabria, cartographic information on marine habitats is essential for the application of the Directives and for the preparation and updating of the Spanish Inventory of Marine Habitats and Species. Information on species distribution limits is the basic level of knowledge for a habitat or species, applicable to numerous biology and ecology studies, such as the design of scientific experiments, statistical modelling of the effect of climate change, quantification of ecosystem services, monitoring programmes, environmental impact assessment, etc. pressure analysis, marine protected area management plans and decision-making processes related to coastal management.

The entity considers that the result generated in this project (whose databases and cartographies are available online) will be a useful working tool in all areas of management and research of biodiversity and marine resources for habitat 1170 (Reefs) of the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC).

The general objective of CARTOMAR has been to improve knowledge about marine biodiversity in the north of the Iberian Peninsula, necessary for the management of the coastal zone, through the collection of historical data on benthic species (those directly linked to the seabed) of flora and fauna.

The specific objectives of the project have been the following:

• To increase knowledge about the historical distribution of intertidal and subtidal benthic flora and fauna species.
• Develop an Atlas of the Coastal Biodiversity of Northern Spain.
• Expand the content of the OCLE database and web application.
• To raise public awareness of the importance of marine biodiversity conservation and to communicate the results obtained to managers and the general public.

• Compilation and homogenization of data on rocky bottom fauna on the north and northwest coasts of the Iberian Peninsula, from Galicia to the Basque Country, in order to generate a homogeneous database throughout the study area. In total, 31,055 data on the presence of fauna including 40 species have been compiled in a standardized database.
• Compilation of new data on the distribution of macroalgae, both from information shared by other collaborating centres and from field campaigns carried out in 2018 and 2019 by the entity itself. In this case, 4,217 data on the presence of macroalgae were collected in the database with all the standardized information, finally including 23 species of macroalgae in the final file.
• Incorporation of the data collected on fauna and flora into the OCLE database (Open access database on Climate change effects on Littoral and oceanic Ecosystems). This tool, according to the entity, is very useful for research and management of the marine environment, as it provides the most complete spatial database to date of environmental predictors, disaggregated over time, both for historical conditions and in climate change scenarios in Europe. In addition, it has information on the distribution of macroalgae in both the intertidal and rocky subtidal.
• Generation of cartographies of coastal biodiversity on the North Atlantic façade of the Iberian Peninsula. The data generated have made it possible to create 20 information sheets that include the main characteristics of the most representative species of macroalgae and benthic invertebrates in this area. The information on each species includes a brief description of its morphology, appearance and form of reproduction, as well as its distribution habitat and its ecology in relation to environmental characteristics. In addition, some curiosities of each of them and a photograph are shown to help in their possible identification. On the other hand, maps have been drawn up of the presence of the species of flora and fauna obtained in the project. Presences from 1985 to the present day in which precise coordinates were available have been included, so it includes real presences that thanks to the project have been made accessible to the general public.

With all this information, an Atlas of the coastal biodiversity of Northern Spain has been published, in digital format and available on the project’s website, and has been sent to the main managers and technicians to increase its dissemination.

• Raising awareness among the population, through the generation of educational resources (such as biodiversity mapping) and the holding of two school awareness-raising workshops within the framework of two key dates for scientific dissemination: the International Day of Women and Girls in Science 2020 and Science Week 2021.
• Dissemination of the results of the project, through the website, press releases and publications in the media (press, specialised bulletins, etc.) and the social networks of the entity.
• Transfer of the results to 25 managers and technicians from national and regional administrations. They have also been incorporated into the subjects of the Master’s Degree in Integrated Management of Water Systems, taught by the members of the Institute of Environmental Hydraulics, and in the seminars of the Doctoral Programme in Coastal Engineering, Hydrobiology and Management of Aquatic Systems (IH2O).

In this project, data on the distribution of macroalgae and benthic invertebrates on the northern Spanish coast have been collected and standardized, making them available to the general public for download and visualization on the OCLE open access platform. This compilation is, according to the entity, an important contribution to the knowledge of the distribution of these species.

In addition, the project has developed cartography of these distributions, which is very useful for the management of the northern Spanish coast. An Atlas of the coastal biodiversity of northern Spain has also been produced, which includes files with information and cartographies on the main species of flora and fauna.

In this sense, the entity has sent all the information to the competent authorities at the regional and state level. According to the Environmental Hydraulics Institute of Cantabria Foundation, it is essential that this data is available free of charge for viewing, downloading and use in research, management and conservation.

On the other hand, it should be noted that this initiative is complementary to the LIFE INTEMARES Project, since it addresses the improvement of the knowledge of species for the management of marine spaces, actions to improve the knowledge of habitats and species in these environments.