Scientific watch

This report by the European Commission reviews the existing evidence of economic benefits generated from Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and other Spatial Protection Measures (SPMs) to fisheries, maritime tourism and other blue economy sectors in Europe. Of the total of

This is number 50 of the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM) monographs series, it opens perspectives on the lessons to gain on all sides by forging new alliances between marine researchers and fishermen. Impacts of human activities on marine biodiversity are

Aichi target 11 recommends that ecologically representative portions (10%) of important coastal and marine areas be set aside within MPAs. Despite global progress in attaining the 10% target, few areas are set aside with consideration of ecological representation as a

The zooxanthellate scleractinian coral Oulastrea crispata, a widely distributed species across central Indo-Pacific nearshore marine habitats, has been first reported from the Mediterranean Sea (Corsica) in 2014. This study reports on two new sites for this species in the NW

Marine forests dominated by macroalgae have experienced noticeable regression along some temperate and subpolar rocky shores and natural recoveries are usually extremely difficult, being these forests permanently replaced by less structured assemblages. This study presents a macroalgal restoration methodology based

Predictive habitat mapping has shown great promise to improve the understanding of the spatial distribution and complexity of benthic habitats and is a valuable means to highlight species-environment relationships where field data are limited. However, reliable predictions are hard to

Atmospheric carbon dioxide enrichment alters seawater carbonate chemistry, thus threatening calcifying organisms such as corals. Coral populations at carbon dioxide vents are natural acidification experiments that mimic organism responses to seawater pH values projected for 2100. This study investigated the

Dive computers have an important potential for citizen science projects where recreational SCUBA divers can upload the depth temperature profile and the geolocation of the dive to a central database which may provide useful information about the subsurface temperature of

Episodes of mass mortalities and disease outbreaks affecting corals and other benthic sessile suspension feeders (BSF) are recorded with an increasing frequency all over the world including in the Mediterranean Sea. This paper reports on a massive die-off of benthic

Seagrasses constitute a key coastal habitat world-wide, but are exposed to multiple perturbations. Understanding elements affecting seagrass resistance to disturbances is critical for conservation. This study addressed whether the resistance (change in shoot abundances) and performance (change in leaf morphology