L' Albera (Spain)
Why this site?
The Natura 2000 site of L’Albera was designated as SPA in 2005, SCI in 2006 and SAC in 2014. It is a large and mainly terrestrial area covering 163,22km2, with a very small % of coastal area. Part of the terrestrial part is also protected by regional law as Natural Site of National Interest.
So far most “official” management and conservation efforts have occurred on the terrestrial part, and no real efforts happened in the coastal area. Neptune seagrass meadows were in bad conservation status, suffering the impact of abandoned mooring blocks and broken pipe-tubes, and the local community was not aware of the protection status of that particular coastal area or knew the importance of the seagrass meadows present.
For those reasons, SUBMON signed a stewardship agreement in 2021 with the local municipality and with the regional government of Catalonia, in order to start actions directed to improve the environmental status and the management of part of the marine section of this site, and to engage the local community in research and conservation actions in the area.
This demo site brings the experiences of the innovative figure of “marine stewardship” as a way to engage stakeholders in marine research, management and conservation.
Ecosystem characteristics
Challenges
This is a very popular spot for coastal recreational activities, and main problems arise from anchoring and mooring blocks impacting the seagrass meadows.
The demo site of L’Albera is tiny, and has no continuity into any of the marine protected areas surrounding it. It should be extended in order to work effectively as a corridor for species using the seagrasses to migrate along the Spanish-French coast.
Conservation objectives and management measures could be improved; there is no monitoring in the area.
What will be demonstrated?
- Support the development/improvement of science-based conservation objectives and conservation measures
- Stakeholder engagement in conservation and research activities
- Determining its importance for connectivity
- Proposal to extend the marine protected area
Activities to be
carried out
- Looking into the importance of the area and its connectivity with surrounding areas
- Establishment of a co-management group
- Support to establish conservation objectives and to roll out a management plan
- Improvement of knowledge on species and habitats in the area
- True engagement of community through different actions (e.g. bioblitz, school visits, active restoraton of Neptune seagrass)
- Research on the effectiveness of active restoration of Posidonia oceanica.
