Intervention

Starting from January 2022, in partnership with our partner Blue Marine Foundation, a triple two-year project was launched which involves three Marine Protected Areas in Sardinia: Capo Carbonara (Villasimìus), Capo Caccia (Isola Piana) and Isola Asinara. The aim of the initiative is to expand and improve the management effectiveness of individual protected areas by promoting the conservation of crucial habitats and vulnerable species, according to current European guidelines (Habitat Directive 92/43 EEC) and the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.

Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area

In the Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area, the project carried out the removal and disposal of ghost nets and abandoned fishing gear. This type of waste is lost or abandoned by fishermen and, together with plastic waste, constitutes a significant source of pollution for crucial marine ecosystems, threatening protected marine species in worrying decline, such as the coral habitat and Posidonia oceanica meadows (a marine plant important for the production of oxygen and capable of offering shelter to species to grow and reproduce). 
The results obtained from 2021 to 2024:

• The removal of waste from 6 sites was completed, for which approximately 33,156 m2 of seabed (approximately 3.5 ha) were searched/surveyed, of which 16,810 m2 (approximately 2 ha) were effectively cleaned by the presence of abandoned fishing gear/ghost nets and other waste.
  
  
• The University of Genoa assisted in before and after monitoring actions, using the BACI (Before, After, Control, Impact) method to verify the conditions of the seabed before and after the removal of the gear. Progressive improvement following the intervention was ascertained.
  
  
• The exact tonnage of waste collected was approximately 1,100kg (over one ton): approx. 1 km of fishing nets and a hundred pots as abandoned fishing gear (equal to 750 kg), and other types of plastic waste (equal to 330 kg).
  
  
• In January 2024, an infographic handbook was prepared on how to address and manage environmental problems of this type, and above all prevent them (to inform and combat the phenomenon of ALDFG - Abandoned, Lost or otherwise Discarded Fishing Gear) - material that can be disclosed in both English and Italian. 

Marine Protected Area of Capo Caccia

The Marine Protected Area of ​​Capo Caccia, which hosts the largest complex of sea caves in Italy (over 100, including the Nereo Cave, the largest in Europe), is a treasure of biodiversity. This area consists of precious habitats such as coral reefs and a variety of marine fauna, including protected species at risk of extinction such as the diadem urchin, the giant newt, the sea date and the porcelain cowrie. Unfortunately, over the years, the biodiversity of the area has suffered a strong impact due to free anchoring and unregulated diving tourism. The number of dives increased from 4,515 to 5,657 in five years (from 2018 to 2021), with a total of 20,913 dives in the five-year period, of which 70% in the MPA caves.

To combat this degradation, the Capellino Foundation together with the Blue Marine Foundation have undertaken targeted actions for the conservation of marine habitats and biodiversity. A system of 4 smart mooring buoys will be installed. This system will allow greater regulation of recreational diving activity and will protect the coral habitat adjacent to the entrance to the caves. Each buoy will protect 0.3 hectares, preserving a total area of ​​1.2 hectares in the Capo Caccia area. Among the species monitored with the University of Sassari in the coral area, we highlight Leptosammia pruvotii, Eunicella cavolini (yellow gorgonian), Corallium rubrum (red coral) and Axinella cannabina (calcareous sponge).

After 20 years from its establishment, the Park assembly has therefore approved a definitive regulation. This includes a new plan for mooring in the entire area of ​​the MPA which will eliminate the phenomenon of free anchoring and specific guidelines for diving companies operating around the Capo Caccia promontory, in line with the objectives of our project.

Asinara National Park with its Marine Protected Area

From 2021 to 2024 we have dedicated ourselves, in collaboration with the Blue Marine Foundation, to the protection of the ecosystem of the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of the Asinara National Park.
This unique area combines the protection of a national park with the conservation measures of an MPA, providing a vital refuge for numerous species such as bottlenose dolphins, fin whales and the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta.
Overfishing, or excessive fishing, is a growing threat to marine ecosystems around the world. At Asinara we have adopted new management measures for small-scale fishing, with more restrictive actions based on scientific data. In particular, through monitoring and strategies such as tagging (marking) of target species such as lobster, together with the definition of a plan for responsible harvesting and the creation of a quality brand of the fish caught by local fisheries, the excessive harvesting of animals that are not yet adults.

Thanks to the support of Fondazione Capellino and the Blue Marine Foundation, the Asinara project achieved exceptional results. Initially, an expansion of the protected area between 1,000 and 6,000 ha was envisaged, but a different decision was then reached: that of taking over and managing a much larger marine area, going from 10,800 hectares to over 66,000 hectares of protected area , and with a much more restrictive conservation line: the European one. In fact, since December 2022 a technical table has been created to improve management, and the Asinara Park has collaborated with the Sardinian Region and the Ministry of the Environment (MASE) to manage three Natura 2000 sites of community interest: the Isola dell 'Asinara, the Piana Island of Porto Torres and the area from the Asinara Island to Argentiera, an important ecological corridor for the species Tursiops truncatus (bottlenose dolphins). Now the protected area is 66,345 marine hectares.

The management of these sites of European importance will contribute to the 2030 Agenda objective of 30% protected areas (of which 10% strictly), ensuring effective management of natural systems. The agreement also provides for the updating of conservation measures, surveillance and control activities, and monitoring with the University of Sassari of priority habitats and species (mainly represented by cetaceans, seagrass meadows and coral habitats).

At the same time, in January 2024, the Sardinia Region, through the MASE, formally approved the start of the creation of the "Cross-border Biosphere Reserve at sea" between Sardinia and Corsica, the first ever in the Mediterranean. It is located between the three MPAs of Northern Sardinia - Asinara, Capo Testa and Maddalena - and the Bocche di Bonifacio in the south of Corsica. The UNESCO Man and Biodiversity (MaB) Program will help conserve biodiversity and promote sustainable socioeconomic development.

Discover More
www.bluemarinefoundation.com/2022/03/29/blue-marine-launches-ambitious-campaign-to-connect-marine-protected-areas-in-italy/
www.bluemarinefoundation.com/projects/italy/