PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The geomorphological features of the Portofino Marine Protected Area promontory favour the development of a rich and highly diversified benthic fauna and flora. The area hosts the most important shallow-water coral population of the Ligurian Sea and contains significant gorgonian populations. The fish community includes such species as the brown grouper, brown meagre, dentex and barracuda. The coastal areas are also home to the ribbed Mediterranean limpet (Patella ferruginea), an endemic gastropod mollusc from the western Mediterranean and one of the most endangered species of invertebrates of the entire Mediterranean marine ecosystem.
The species is included in Annex II of the SPAMI Convention, along with Appendix 2 of the Bern Convention and Annex IV of the Habitats Directive. Furthermore, the ribbed Mediterranean limpet is a target species for evaluating good marine environmental status (GES) in line with the Italian Marine Strategy and EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). This species, however, has all but disappeared due to pollution and being harvested for food and bait by recreational fishermen.
OBJECTIVES
The general objective of the RE.LIFE project was to reintroduce the ribbed Mediterranean limpet (Patella ferruginea) to the Portofino Marine Protected Area and to other Ligurian MPAs (Bergeggi and Cinque Terre) included in four Natura 2000 network sites, as well as to raise awareness of the importance of conserving this species. To achieve this goal, the project aimed to carry out the following actions:
- Define a protocol for the transfer of limpets from high- to low-density areas and transfer specimens from the Tavolara MPA in northern Sardinia to Portofino;
- Set up limpet hatcheries and define a protocol for controlled reproduction and restocking. The hatcheries will help extend the repopulation process and its replication in other MPAs, as well as restoring the original population in Tavolara MPA through the transfer of reared individuals.
The project aimed to contribute to the implementation of the MSFD as well as helping carry out the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020.
RESULTS
After establishing and successfully testing new protocols for the transport and controlled reproduction of limpets (Patella ferruginea), many were produced in a hatchery at Camogli. However, due to unexpected problems, two attempts to implant limpets along the coast failed. The RE.LIFE project partners plan to continue activities aimed at establishing limpet populations in the three target MPAs in the after-LIFE phase.
As a result, the project’s main technical outputs are the innovative and successfully tested protocols for the transport and controlled reproduction of limpets. On the environmental awareness side, the activities conducted were very successful: in total, since the start of the project, almost 5 000 students, 9 800 people among the general public and close to 2 300 stakeholders were involved in awareness raising-information events organised by the project. Moreover, the project public awareness campaign received a lot of media visibility (e.g., press and TV), reaching 8 million people as well as about 16 000 people through social media networks.
Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Communication Plan/After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).
