Disseminating awareness and knowledge of priority habitats and Natura 2000 marine sites
Posidonia oceanica prairies are protected under the Habitat Directive 1992/43/EEC, as a priority habitat (the conservation of which requires the designation of special areas of conservation). The presence of P. oceanica involves the establishment of Sites of Community Importance (SCI) that constitute, together with the Special Protection Areas (SPAs) (established by the “Birds” Directive), the Sites of the Natura 2000 Network. These protected natural areas aims to protect the conservation status of species of flora and fauna and of habitat that need targeted protection actions.
Despite P. oceanica meadows are protected habitats they are in strong regression in all countries of Mediterranean area (34% regression in the last 50 years), due to climate change and human impacts. All this factors, together with the slowness of natural recolonization processes, has favored the emergence of the idea that developing transplant techniques could be a means to favor and/or accelerate the processes of natural regeneration. Furthermore, in the last years the transplantation of limited areas of seagrasses has been identified inside the EIA Decrees related to the construction of coastal works, as a form of compensation for the associated impacts. Unfortunately, today there is a real risk that the compensation operations will be resolved exclusively in a justification to be shown to the public opinion, and to legitimize an indiscriminate development of the coastal strip. In fact, the transplant, should be considered as the last attempt to recover the degraded ecosystem because doesn’t exist a real compensation for the damage, and the destruction of a P. oceanica meadow is an irreversible phenomenon, because the habitat was definitely destroyed. In this context it is essential to promote and sensitize the different stakeholders and the public on such complex subject.
In addition, the Governance actions, to ensure success in changing attitudes, require a vast and active support from the public and the actors involved. The Life SEPOSSO will disseminate all the information to ensure the maximum impact of the project both during its development and after its conclusion. Furthermore, the project aims to broaden and stimulate the involvement and participation of citizens and local operators.
Action A.2: Communication plan
The main objectives of this action are to rise the awareness of the sea users on the importance of the Posidonia oceanica habitat and Natura 2000 sites, encouraging responsible and sustainable behaviour, and to increase the knowledge on the phenomenon of P. oceanica transplants in Italy and their management. The dissemination actions of project results included the production and dissemination of information materials (brochures, videos, documentaries, information panels, roll-up, website, social-network), participation in seminars and conferences, organization of meetings on a local scale with the involvement of local communities and schools. A final event was organized where representatives of institutions, scientific community, environmental associations and civil society have been invited.
Communication Plan Life SEPOSSO [ITA]
Action D.1: Public awareness and communication of results
The dissemination actions of the project results and outputs consisted in the production and dissemination of information materials (brochures, videos, information panels, roll-ups), both through this website and on the main social networks (facebook, instagram, twitter, youtube), in participation in seminars and conferences, in the organization of meetings on a local scale with the involvement of local communities and schools and a final event to which representatives of institutions, the scientific community, environmental associations, society have been invited. In addition, articles, press releases and interviews have been released and great importance was given to networking with other European projects concerning both the transplantation issues and the sustainable management of coastal marine resources.
It is possible to visualize all the communication material produced on this page Communication