Assessing the expansion and success of a restored population of Gongolaria barbata (Stackhouse) Kuntze (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) using high-precision positioning tools and size distribution frequencies

GRAN, ALICIA; MOVILLA, JUANCHO; Ballesteros, Enric; SALES, MARTA; BOLADO, IGNACIO; Galobart, Cristina; CEFALÌ, MARIA ELENA

doi:10.12681/mms.30500

Cited by 11 publications

(10 citation statements)

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“…Restoration has been proposed as a promising approach to halting their decline (Gianni et al, 2013), and several European projects (e.g., MERCES (http://www.merces-project.eu/) and AFRIMED (http://afrimed-project.eu/)) developed and tested new techniques to reintroduce Cystoseira s.l. after local extinction, regenerating self-sustaining populations (Verdura et al, 2018;Gran et al, 2022). A roadmap for a successful restoration of Mediterranean macroalgal forests was recently proposed to assist researchers and stakeholders in decision-making, considering the most effective methods, also in terms of cost and cost-effectiveness, starting from the selection of donor and restoration sites, target species, and techniques to the adoption of complementary actions (e.g., provisioning of supplementary substrates or herbivory management; Cebrian et al, 2021).…”

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confidence: 99%

Macroalgal forest restoration: the effect of the foundation species

Bianchelli,

Fraschetti,

Martini

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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IntroductionActive restoration is the strategy needed to trigger or accelerate the recovery of degraded marine habitats, which provide the goods and services essential for preserving biodiversity and human wellbeing. Ecosystem engineers are generally the target species in the ecological restoration of marine ecosystems, and large-sized brown macroalgae (e.g., the Cystoseira complex) are a priority due to their crucial ecological importance and vulnerability in many regions of the Mediterranean Sea. MethodsHere, we present the results of a successful intervention of ecological restoration of Gongolaria barbata. Results and DiscussionOne year after the restoration intervention, we observed the recovery of the canopy in terms of ca. 15m2 with a significant increase in faunal abundance and biodiversity compared with reference areas. However, despite the high restored macroalgal growth rates, the assemblage structure was still significantly different from that of reference pristine areas. Despite the fast faunal colonization of a new 3D habitat linked to the successful re-introduction of the ecosystem engineers (i.e., macroalgae), the complete restoration of the properties of a habitat can be a much longer process. We conclude that, after 1 year, active restoration of macroalgal forests still results in a partial recovery of ecosystem functions (i.e., rehabilitation) rather than a full ecosystem restoration, thus stressing the need for long-term monitoring of restoration interventions.

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confidence: 99%

Macroalgal forest restoration: the effect of the foundation species

Bianchelli,

Fraschetti,

Martini

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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“…Among the active restoration approaches, recruitment enhancement techniques (Verdura et al, 2018) are considered relatively non‐destructive as less than 5% of the donor individual (only fertile parts) is being collected for the sake of the restoration (Gianni et al, 2017). Moreover, high rates of long‐term restoration success of these techniques based either on in situ and ex situ recruitment has been demonstrated (Gran et al, 2022; Galobart et al, 2023).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Moreover, high rates of long-term restoration success of these techniques based either on in situ and ex situ recruitment has been demonstrated (Gran et al, 2022;Galobart et al, 2023).…”

Section: Interactions Between Conservation and Restoration Effortsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Changes in threats to macroalgal forests (Cystoseira sensu lato) at three restoration sites in the Mediterranean Sea

Fehér,

Bianchelli,

Verdura

et al. 2023

Aquatic Conservation

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Macroalgal forests, such as Cystoseira sensu lato, comprise crucially important habitats in the Mediterranean Sea, providing protection and structural complexity, enhancing productivity, food, shelter and spawning grounds in coastal marine ecosystems. However, due to increasing direct and indirect anthropogenic impacts, these habitats are rapidly declining. Due to their biological and ecological characteristics, the natural recovery of the populations belonging to these species is slow. For this reason, active restoration has been identified as an effective tool for their recovery. Since the mitigation of impacts is one of the prerequisites for restoration success, Modified Threat Reduction Assessments were used to estimate success of conservation measures in three areas of the central and north‐western Mediterranean Sea (Costa del Conero, Italy; Cala Bona and Port de la Selva, Spain). In particular, the assessment was conducted to: (i) identify and evaluate the changes in threats to Cystoseira s.l. species between 2019 and 2021; and (ii) propose management in relation to the ongoing restoration measures. A total of 13 threats were identified and determined negative Modified Threat Reduction Assessment Indices of approximately −46%, −14% and −13%, respectively, in Costa del Conero, Cala Bona and Port de la Selva. The study's findings, when combined, document the increase of the scale of threats during the second year of the survey period despite the lockdown due to COVID‐19.

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“…forests should include quantifiable properties to describe the community in terms of structure alongside ecosystem functions (Montoya et al, 2012). To date, reported successful macroalgal forest restoration has mainly focused on the recovery of the canopy-forming species (Whitaker et al, 2010;Verdura et al, 2018;Fredriksen et al, 2020;Layton et al, 2020;Gran et al, 2022), and only a few studies have evaluated the re-establishment of associated species (Ling, 2008;Marzinelli et al, 2016;Galobart et al, 2023).…”

Section: Success Evaluationmentioning

confidence: 99%

A decision-support framework for the restoration of Cystoseira sensu lato forests

Smith,

Verdura,

Papadopoulou

et al. 2023

Front. Mar. Sci.

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Macroalgal forests characterised by species of the genus Cystoseira sensu lato form important shallow coastal rocky habitats in the Mediterranean Sea. These forests support a high biodiversity and provide important ecosystem services and societal benefits. Currently these habitats are often in a poor condition in many areas, due to loss and degradation from both anthropogenic and climate stressors. Restoration has recently moved to the forefront of the United Nations and European Union agendas to reverse this trend, particularly in the last decade with the implementation of various international policies. However, this has been in the form of generic targets (e.g., restoration of 30% of degraded habitats by 2030) and has not been linked to specifically what habitat or species to restore, where and how. Initial targets have been missed, new targets are expected through the proposed EU Nature Restoration Law, but overall guidance is still lacking. There are few specific guides to marine habitat restoration limited to mostly seagrass, corals and shellfish. As a priority action for the recovery of coastal marine ecosystems a decision-support framework has been developed for the restoration of Mediterranean macroalgal forests, comprising a stepwise decision tree with additional descriptions of key elements to be considered for a restoration action. The decision tree includes steps concerning current and historical forest presence, site local condition assessment and choice of actions. Key considerations include restoration implementation (competence, society and support, finance and governance), success evaluation (at the target species and the ecosystem level) and long-term management. The framework builds on existing work on Cystoseira s.l. restoration, the work carried out in the EU AFRIMED project, but also on principles and guidelines in place for both generic and specific marine habitats. The work reported here has involved the expertise of scientists and information from stakeholders. Gaps were identified and recommendations were made, dealing with stressors, coordinating and networking stakeholders, integrating top down policy and bottom up initiatives, funding of restoration actions, establishing synergies between restoration, conservation and marine spatial planning and finally communication and publicity.

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Assessing the expansion and success of a restored population of Gongolaria barbata (Stackhouse) Kuntze (Fucales, Phaeophyceae) using high-precision positioning tools and size distribution frequencies

Cited by 11 publications

References 50 publications

Macroalgal forest restoration: the effect of the foundation species

Macroalgal forest restoration: the effect of the foundation species

Changes in threats to macroalgal forests (Cystoseira sensu lato) at three restoration sites in the Mediterranean Sea

A decision-support framework for the restoration of Cystoseira sensu lato forests

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