MEROTTO L.

Scuba diving has become an increasingly popular recreational activity, involving approximately 6 million active divers worldwide.The high frequency of diving can impact the benthic communities of marine protected areas (MPAs), possibly jeopardizing the beneficial effects of protection.The Portofino MPA, in the Ligurian Sea, is one of the main...

Two Pinna nobilis populations thriving inside the borders of the Portofino Marine Protected Area (MPA) (Ligurian Sea, western Mediterranean Sea) were monitored before (2012) and after (September 2018) a dire mass mortality event that, since September 2016, spread through the whole Mediterranean Sea. In Portofino MPA, recorded mortality rates...

Marine and coastal ecosystems are among the most productive environments in the world and contribute to the economic value generated by the biosphere offering a wide variety of services. Posidonia oceanica and some organisms of coralligenous biocenosis are key species listed among the priority habitats in the European Habitat Directive...

Recreational and professional fishing are spread all over the world, generating revenues and opportunities but impacting on limited fish stocks. even if stocks can recover, over-exploitation and permanent damages to ecosystems must be avoided. The aim of this work is to provide a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) to develop sustainable...

In recent decades, increasing attention has been paid to the protection of marine-coastal environment and ecosystem services. An Environmental Spatial Decision Support System (ESDSS) was developed for the management of marine-coastal areas' ecosystem services. This allows to quantify the physical and monetary value of natural capital stocks and...

Fishing is a worldwide activity impacting on limited stocks, that can recover, but it's necessary to avoid over-exploitation and permanent damages to ecosystems. The aim of this work is to provide a Spatial Decision Support System (SDSS) for develop sustainable management strategies for fishing in marine protected areas (MPAs). The system,...

This study represents a progress of results obtained in the context of EAMPA (Environmental Accounting in Marine Protected Areas) Italian project. EAMPA project, launched by Italian environmental Ministry in 2014 and ended in 2018, aimed at providing to Marine Protected Areas (MPA) managers an operational tool for environmental accounting. At...

Littorals represent highly dynamic and complex systems which undergo changes imposed by several environmental factors and human-induced disturbances. Some coastal habitats, like Posidonia oceanica meadows, are considered as biological indicators thanks to their susceptibility to pressures and changes, according to the European Water Framework...

This study represents a first effort to synthesise biophysical, ecologic information with economic measures. The principal aim is to fill the gap between ecology and economy and provide to territorial managers an operational tool able to assess both environmental and economic sustainability in marine protected areas (MPA). At this purpose a...