Building a transnational biodiversity geo-database of the protected areas in the Adriatic-Ionian Macro-Region: approaches and results from the IMPRECO Project

By

Zangaro, Francesco
Marini, Gabriele
Specchia, Valeria
De Luca, Matteo
Visintin, Francesca
Bullo, Giovanna
Richard, Jacopo
Šalaja, Nataša
Rakar, Bia
Lipej, Bojana
Kurtović Mrčelić, Jelena
Piasevoli, Gvido
Žuljević, Ante
Zaimi, Nada
Bejko, Djana
Diku, Abdulla
Karousou, Aliki
Hatziyanni, Eleni
Pinat, Massimiliano
Pinna, Maurizio

Type

Article

Date of Publication

2021-05-27

Original Publication

Biodiversity data journal

Volume

9

Pages

1--18

Subjects

Coastal-Marine Protected Areas , European Adriatic-Ionian Macro-Region , EUSAIR , Natura 2000 , non-indigenous species , protected species and habitats , traditional and innovative biomonitoring tools , transnational biodiversity geo-database.

Contributed by

Pensoft Publishers

Language

English

Published by

Sofia Pensoft Publishers [2013]-

Identifiers

DOI: https://doi.org/10.3897/BDJ.9.e67169
eLocator: e67169

 

Abstract

The main objective of the project Common strategies and best practices to IMprove the transnational PRotection of ECOsystem integrity and services - IMPRECO is to enhance the safeguarding of ecosystems and ecosystem services. Additionally, the aim of this project is to tackle their environmental vulnerability by strengthening the potential of the Protected Areas in biodiversity, ecosystems and ecosystem services conservation. This is expected to be addressed by maintaining it through their transnational networking located in the European Adriatic-Ionian Macro-Region.<br> The aim of this research is: 1) to characterise the habitats and ecosystems involved in the coastal-marine protected areas considered; 2) to set a biodiversity baseline; 3) to understand what current ecosystems’ conditions are; 4) to build up a transnational biomonitoring programme of target species and habitats and 5) to assess their response to pilot actions. To do so, a transnational inventory of species, habitats, ecosystems and ecosystem services was established, starting with the seven coastal-marine protected areas involved in the project. Data collection was carried out using different sources of information: scientific literature, officially available data from NATURA 2000 Standard Data Forms, checklists from local biomonitoring programmes, personal observations and citizen science, historical maps and data from new in-field analyses. Data were filled in the transnational biodiversity geo-databases according to the NATURA 2000 standards about habitat features, species protection level and species features. The presence of alien species (non-indigenous species, NIS) was also acknowledged and references about data collection were provided in the databases according to the Darwin Core standards.