Seagrass transplantation for transitional Ecosystem Recovery

PROJECT DESCRIPTION

BACKGROUND

Some Coastal lagoons (EU Habitats Directive habitat type 1150*) of considerable ecological importance in the Mediterranean have been progressively depleted of marine phanerogams, that is plants with true flowers that produce seeds. This in turn results in the impoverishment of the habitats biodiversity. Marine phanerogam vegetation is predominantly seagrass meadows, which also play a key role in stabilising the seabed and maintaining water quality. The loss of such vegetation is due to a number of reasons, including changes in water circulation and the accumulation of organic matter. One side-effect is the colonisation of degraded habitat by invasive alien plant species.

OBJECTIVES

The LIFE-TRANSFER project aims at improving the conservation status of the Coastal lagoon habitat of the EU Habitats Directive (1150*) in eight Natura 2000 network sites: 4 in Italy, 2 in Greece and 2 in Spain. The project will favour the process of recolonisation of aquatic phanerogams in the 8 sites by transplanting small sods and rhizomes of species previously present in each area: Zostera marina (eelgrass), Zostera noltii (dwarf eelgrass), Ruppia cirrhosa (spiral ditchgrass) and the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa, The aim is to promote the natural propagation capacity of these plants through seed production and dispersion.

The specific objectives are:

Restoring and consolidating priority Coastal lagoon habitat at six sites by transplanting submerged phanerogams, to promote ecosystem self-sustainability (an area of 1 000 m2 will be transplanted at each coastal lagoons with seagrass species typical of that biogeographic area), and restoring water circulation in one lagoon and removing invasive green algae in another lagoon;

Contributing to achieve a good ecological state of transitional water, in line with the objectives of the EU Water Framework Directive;

Quantifying the value of ecosystem services provided by the coastal lagoon environments and the seagrass meadows; and

Training of future trainers in the restoration techniques, targeting site managers/professionals not participating in the project to ensure transferability and replicability in other sites.

 

The project contributes to the EU Habitats Directive and the Water Framework Directive, and is also in accordance with the Barcelona Convention (1995), UN Convention on Biological Diversity, the EU Biodiversity Strategies to 2020/2030 and the EU Birds Directive, and the EU Regulation on prevention and management of Invasive Alien Species.

RESULTS

Expected results:

Restoration of water circulation in the 600 ha Canarin Lagoon (Italy);

Reduce by 80% the area colonised by the invasive green algae Caulerpa prolifera in the Mar Menor lagoon (Spain);

Success of transplanted seagrass sods over 80%;

Success of diffused seeding and rooting in the order of 25% of the transplanting lagoon areas after 5-10 years;

80% of sites are covered by continuousseagrass beds and multiple natural rootings at different levels of development are spread over an area approximately 10 times greater than the initial situation (after 4 to 5 years);

30 people trained in transplantation techniques (12 in other Member States, 18 in the three project Member States but from organisations other than the beneficiaries); and

2 000 students involved in environmental education activities.