Conservation and management of natural marine and coastal ecosystems.The transplanting of Posidonia oceanica.
“Global loss of seagrass area since 1980 are equivalent to a football (soccer) field every 30 minutes”, that is over the duration of a football match, three fields of seagrasses disappear. In the Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica meadows, one of the most valuable marine ecosystem, suffer a strong regression, mainly due to the different anthropogenic pressures insisting on the coastal zone. Among the numerous actions of protection, a proposal was recently made to protect these meadows through transplant activities; transplant allows both to accelerate the slow colonization process of meadows and to help the restoration of degraded ecosystem. In the work "The transplanting of Posidonia oceanica", ISPRA presents an overview of the current information available on this issue, both arising from a critical analysis of the existing scientific literature and current regulations and from specific technical experiences gained in some study cases. This manual can also be a valuable tool for technicians and administrators involved in coastal management and protection of sensitive ecosystems.
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