Scientific watch

Globally, the number and coverage of MPAs are increasing, but MPA implementation lags in many human-dominated regions. In areas with intense competition for space and resources, evaluation of the effects of MPAs is crucial to inform decisions. This paper presents

Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been touted to promote the recovery of exploited populations and conserve or restore habitats, ecosystems and biodiversity. However, today there is a considerable public and scientific debate on their effectiveness. This article presents six conditions

The Mediterranean fan mussel Pinna nobilis is one of the largest bivalves of the world, it is protected in the Mediterranean Sea by national and international regulations and is currently worryingly threatened by a recent and devastating mass mortality triggered

Understanding the response of populations to climate change is a central topic in conservation biology as a way to better assess species viability in the currently changing ocean. This study demonstrates, through aquaria thermotolerance experiments and population genetics, the limited

Facing the future: Conservation as a precursor for building coastal territorial cohesion and resilience Most coastal zones in the world are undergoing rapid and accelerating changes, with two combined major trends: the growth of coastal populations, and climate change and

Marine reserves solve an important bycatch problem in fisheries Bycatch, where one species is unintentionally caught in pursuit of another species, is one of the most ubiquitous challenges in global fisheries. This paper investigates the role that marine reserves might

There is increasing interest from policy makers in having readily accessible datasets regarding biodiversity, and among these basic lists of species are most essential. The extraordinary variety of geomorphological, oceanographic and biogeographic features of the Spanish seas triggers an extraordinary

Seagrasses provide an important ecological value as nursery habitats, hosting higher juvenile densities that their surrounding less-structured habitats by offering shelter and food to early stages of fish. This study used a low-cost stereo-baited video camera with high precision and

Coastal tourism is considered one of the fastest growing forms of tourism, and the Mediterranean is one of the most important tourism regions in the world. In the Marine Protected Area of La Maddalena Archipelago (Sardinia, Italy), environmental protection rules

Mucilage phenomena are considered as the appearance of a gelatinous material, suspended in marine waters (pelagic aggregates) or covering large portions of the substratum (benthic aggregates), primarily produced by planktonic or benthic microalgae, respectively. These phenomena are considered to heavily