Biology Biotech
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are generally restricted to national boundaries. The CoCoNet project has built guidelines to shift the protection of nature in the Mediterranean and Black Seas from a national to a transnational perspective, with the creation of networks of MPAs. At the same time, it is helping to promote the production of offshore wind farms to help the EU meet its clean energy objectives
Protection through connection
The Mediterranean Sea represents less than one per cent of global ocean cover, yet it holds approximately 15 per cent of all known marine species. Contained within it is a rich diversity of habitats and, along with the connected Black Sea, is one of the most economically and ecologically important regions in Europe. The two bodies of water — collectively
known as the Southern European Seas — are a significant source of fish globally, but 50 per cent of their fish stocks are currently overfished. “The Black Sea in particular is of great importance for the people of the surrounding countries, with anchovies, mackerel, sprat and other marine species providing a substantial portion of economic output for the region,” says Bayram Özturk, head of the Marine Biology Department at Istanbul University
and one of the work package leaders in the CoCoNet project. “To keep these fisheries running well the biodiversity of the region must be protected.” Marine protected areas (MPAs) have been
established throughout the Mediterranean and Black Seas in an attempt to safeguard areas of high biological importance and productivity. Fishing and other activities are restricted in these areas, which in the long term helps improve the productivity of surrounding fisheries by promoting the spread of fish larva. Areas of natural beauty are also preserved as a result of lying within these protected zones, which is important for tourism activities. Natural beauty, however, represents only
one facet of what conservation efforts should look to protect. For example, Posidonia is an endemic seagrass found in
the Mediterranean that acts as a nursery for a number of species. It helps to fix sediments and create new substrate for benthic species. It also absorbs CO2 and produces oxygen, giving it
the nickname “the lungs of the
Mediterranean”. Although not as attractive as corals and seafans, its ecological role is essential so it must therefore be preserved. The seaweed Phyllophora plays a similarly essential role in the Black Sea, providing a habitat for invertebrates and fish. The creation of MPAs in the region has
been a welcome addition to conservation efforts in the region, but there are various issues
that need to be addressed. The
current area that MPAs cover in the Mediterranean and Black Seas is negligible (4.56 per cent in the Meditteranean, 2.4 per cent in the Black Sea), and different levels of regulation
© TUDAV (Turkish Marine Research Foundation)s
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