1st Mediterranean Symposium on the conservation of Dark Habitats (Portorož, Slovenia, 31 October 2014)

Martina CANESSA, MONTEFALCONE M., CANOVAS MOLINAA., COPPOS., DIVIACCO G., BAVESTRELLO G., MORRI C., BIANCHI C.N.

United Nations Environment Programme, Mediterranean Action Plan, Regional Activity Center for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA)

Slovenia

Portorož

Marine caves are priority coastal habitats according to the EU Habitat Directive, but they have received a comparatively lower attention with respect to other Mediterranean key coastal habitats, such as seagrass meadows and coralligenous reefs. This paper reviews and updates the
existing knowledge on the underwater marine caves of Liguria, an administrative region in NW Italy. The available bibliographic information, retrieved from regional archives, grey literature and scientific publications, has been implemented with records by divers to build a database on
the distribution and typology (both geological and biological) of marine underwater caves of Liguria. The database has been implemented on a GIS platform. Out of the 76 marine caves recorded along the coast, only 20 are submerged, reaching a maximum depth of 40 m. 21 caves
are distributed in the Western Ligurian Riviera and 56 in the Eastern Riviera. Major caves are located in karst areas. Geological and morphological information is available for virtually all caves, whereas biological data are limited to 13 caves, and are rarely accompanied by historical series. This first attempt provides useful indications to focus future investigations, and could become a potential management tool for local administrations to protect these habitats.

Canessa et al.2014 RACSPA Marine caves Liguria.pdf (1016.43 Kb | 16 Download)

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15/11/2022 14:19:40