LIFE RES MARI

Title: LIFE RES MARIS - Recovering Endangered habitatS in the Capo Carbonara MARIne area, Sardinia

Summary: The project area, a Natura 2000 site, covers three priority habitats – posidonia beds, coastal dunes and wooded dunes – all of which are under threat from a range of problems. For the terrestrial habitats (i.e. the coastal dunes and wooded dunes) the main threats come from high human pressure, due to mass tourism, and from the introduction of invasive alien species (IAS), as highlighted in the studies carried out by an earlier LIFE project, Providune. Other threats are the accumulation of waste, the cutting down of trees and branches and dune erosion.

The site also includes the marine habitat, the underwater posidonia meadows, that are also under pressure due to high tourism, especially during the summer. It is estimated, for instance, that every summer (during July and August) around 4 000 boats anchor on the posidonia meadows, which causes direct damage and fragmentation. In addition to the direct damage caused by anchors on the seabed, other threats are waste discharge and uncontrolled scuba diving.

The project’s main objectives are to:

• Reduce and/or eliminate the threat to the target habitats due to the presence of invasive plant species;
• Apply best practices and actions to protect and restore the three priority habitats in the Natura 2000 site;
• Reduce and/or eliminate the anchorage threat to the underwater posidonia beds;
• Favour the reappearance of the spontaneous native vegetation on the priority habitats and in particular along the dune ridges;
• Restore and to recover the sensitive areas from the impacts of IAS on the priority habitats; Raise awareness among local people and stakeholders about the work;
• Share knowledge and conservation skills with the administrative authorities about the integrated management of the sea and coastal systems for the long-term protection of these habitats.

Expected results:

• Improvement in the conservation status of the three priority habitats;
• Identification of the IAS found in the posidonia beds and their distribution;
• Reduction by 15 % of anchorage impacts on the posidonia beds;
• Restoration of 20% of the posidonia beds in the fragmented sites of repopulation;
• Reduction of the diffusion/presence of IAS in the areas;
• Production of plants from collected germplasm for the reintroductions in the coastal dunes and wooded dunes;
• Elimination of the IAS from 14 500 m2 in costal dunes and wooded dunes (6 000 m2 for Carpobrotus sp.;
• 8 000 m2 for Acacia sp.; 500 m2 for Agave sp.);
• Restoration of the eradicated areas of the coastal dunes and wooded dunes (14 500 m2).

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