Red coral effectively recovers in Mediterranean protected areas
Tuesday, February 4, 2020 - 11:30
in Earth & Climate
Protection measures of the Marine Protected Areas have enable red coral colonies (Corallium rubrum) to recover partially in the Mediterranean Sea, reaching health levels similar to those of the 1980s in Catalonia and of the 1960s in the Ligurian Sea (Northwestern Italy). This is shown in a recent study carried out by researchers from the Institute of Environmental Science and Technology of the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (ICTA-UAB) that highlights the effectiveness of marine protections actions and recalls that the disappearance of red coral in the last decades has drastic consequences on its capacity to sequester sea carbon, and also to maintain complexity in its habitat, resulting in lower biodiversity.