Focus on New Sites for Caves and Reefs Issues Identified Dr. Leyla Knittweis-Mifsud Department of Biology, Faculty of Science University of Malta
Presentation Overview Areas of conservation potential within which SCIs will be located Assessing conservation status under the Habitats Directive Threats and pressures identified during LIFE BaĦAR for N2K project o Inshore areas o Offshore areas Outlook o Designation process o Setting of conservation objectives o Scientific aspects
Areas of Conservation Potential A prioritised list of marine areas with conservation potential was compiled for: o Reefs (Habitat 1170) o Submerged and partially submerged caves (Habitat 8330) Site identification was based on: o Synthesis of existing information on habitat distribution within the 25 nautical mile Fisheries Management Zone o Data from scientific surveys in areas where knowledge gaps were identified Designation process is ongoing - these are NOT the finalised proposed Sites of Community Importance
Areas of Conservation Potential Three inshore sites hosting both reefs and caves identified
Inshore Site I Largest number of emergent and fully submerged caves including offshore caves Coastal reef habitats: submarine parts of emergent rock faces and boulders
Inshore Site II Large number of emergent and fully submerged caves Coastal reef habitats: submarine parts of emergent vertical cliffs Presence of long-spined sea urchin Centrostephanus longispinus
Inshore Site III Large number of emergent and fully submerged caves Coastal reef habitats: submarine parts of emergent rock faces and boulders Presence of long-spined sea urchin Centrostephanus longispinus
Areas of Conservation Potential Five offshore areas hosting deep-water caves and geogenic / biogenic reefs identified
Offshore Site I Two parallel prominent ridges running from the west to east, dropping from 250 to 750 m / 400 to 600 m respectively No deep-water caves recorded High diversity of cnidarians Presence of critically endangered bamboo coral Isidella elongata
Offshore Site II Prominent plateau and steep escarpments descending from depths of 190 m to > 1000 m Several deep-water caves High diversity of habitat forming cnidarians and associated fauna
Offshore Site III Shallow western side (ca. 450 m), deeper eastern side (> 1000 m) Gentle slopes with a series of steep outcrops and escarpments No deep-water caves Most abundant habitat-forming species were sponges / cnidarians High density of critically endangered bamboo coral Isidella elongata
Offshore Site IV Prominent plateau extending along the site s southern edge Steep escarpments descending from 200 m to > 1000 m depth High number of deep-water caves Fossilised lithistid sponge reef concentrated in this area
Offshore Site V Depths varied from 190 m at top of plateau along northern edge to > 1000 m in north-western corner Several deep-water caves Reef assemblages present along escarpments characterised by a variety of sessile cnidarians and sponges
Assessing Conservation Status According to Article 1 of the Habitats Directive, the conservation status of a natural habitat will be taken as favourable when: o Its natural range and areas it covers within that range are stable or increasing o The specific structure and functions which are necessary for its long-term maintenance exist and are likely to continue to exist for the foreseeable future o The conservation status of its typical species is favourable
Assessing Conservation Status The LIFE BaĦAR project data will serve as a baseline to monitor areas occupied by investigated habitats LIFE BaĦAR for N2K Assessments of favourable habitat structure and function will be based on: o Characteristic associated species o Main threats and pressures affecting habitats and species
Assessing Conservation Status Two main types of anthropogenic pressures will need to be taken into account to assess structure and function of reefs / caves: o Pressures which affect the physical structure of the reef or cave o Pressures which affect the species constructing a reef / living on a reef or in a cave LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats & Pressures Several sources of information were considered when assessing threats and pressures affecting cave and reef habitats: Pressures documented during the LIFE BaĦAR surveys Surveys were restricted to visually documenting threats and pressures Existing spatial information on anthropogenic pressures Existing information on threats and pressures was gathered by the DFA from scientific and grey literature Known potential threats Assessed based on expert opinion; partly based on ongoing scientific research unrelated to LIFE BaĦAR project
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Professional / recreational fishing o Fishing targets species associated with both caves and reefs o Lost and discarded gears can continue ghost fishing Carlos Minguell/Oceana LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas SCUBA diving o Movements of divers with poor buoyancy control can cause mechanical damage to erect benthic species o Trapped air bubbles generated by divers known to damage species on cave ceilings Anchoring o Anchoring and subsequent movements can cause mechanical damage to seabed and erect benthic species Pollution to surface waters o Fertiliser / pesticide runoff from fields as well as oil spills from bunkering areas will affect inshore cave and reef habitats
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Marine litter o Several types of marine litter were recorded at inshore reefs and caves, including plastics and lost / discarded fishing gear Litter on Reefs
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Marine litter o Several types of marine litter were recorded at inshore reefs and caves, including plastics and lost / discarded fishing gear Litter in Caves
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Marine litter o Several types of marine litter were recorded at inshore reefs and caves, including plastics and lost / discarded fishing gear Carlos Minguell/Oceana LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Invasive non-native species o Non-native species may threaten reef and cave assemblages by outcompeting indigenous species Enrique Talledo/Oceana LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Erosion / silting up o Erosion is a significant phenomenon in Malta due to the abundance of soft rocks o Silting up can be a threat to cave and reef organisms that are not occurring on near-vertical surfaces Carlos Minguell/Oceana LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Terrain collapse / landslides o Collapse of rock faces or cave roofs can alter the area occupied by caves or geogenic reefs Carlos Minguell/Oceana LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Inshore Areas Climatic changes o Temperature and/or ph of an area can shift so conditions no longer optimal for a given species o Extreme events such as temperature anomalies can cause mass mortalities o Increase in extreme storm events may lead to changes in wave heights / frequencies, affecting coastal reefs o Water flow changes can be detrimental by altering the availability of food supply; particularly relevant for sessile suspension feeders
Threats and Pressures Offshore Areas Professional fishing o Legal trawl sites overlap with location of reefs o Lost longlines most abundant, followed by ropes from dolphinfish aggregation devices
Threats and Pressures Offshore Areas Illegal taking / removal of marine fauna o Illegal fisheries targeting the precious red coral are known to take place at Ragusa Bank in the Sicily Channel o No evidence for such activities in Maltese waters LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Offshore Areas Marine litter o Several types of marine litter were recorded at offshore reefs, including plastics and lost / discarded fishing gear LIFE BaĦAR for N2K LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Offshore Areas Mechanical damage to seabed o Trawling will cause damage to the seabed o Limestone blocks to anchor fish aggregation devices can damage reef species, including biogenic frameworks
Threats and Pressures Offshore Areas Silting up o Silting up can be a threat to offshore reefs and cave organisms that do not occur on near-vertical surfaces LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Threats and Pressures Offshore Areas Terrain collapse / landslides o Collapse of deep-water rock faces or cave roofs would alter the area occupied by offshore caves or reefs Climatic changes o Temperature and/or ph of an area can shift so conditions no longer optimal for a given species o Water flow changes can be detrimental by altering the availability of food supply; particularly relevant for sessile suspension feeders
Outlook Identification of proposed Sites of Community Importance within the areas identified is ongoing Once suitable sites have been identified by ERA the proposed sites will be put forward for approval by the Cabinet of Ministers through the MESDC Documentation for proposed SCIs will be transmitted to the European Commission
Outlook Once the list of pscis has been transmitted to MESDC, ERA will formulate the conservation objectives to be achieved Conservation objectives will set out target conditions for the identified species, communities and habitats Setting up conservation measures is not within the scope of the project LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Outlook Scientific analysis of the vast amount of data collected during the project is ongoing Data on marine litter documented during the project is being analysed in detail; results will be published in scientific literature LIFE BaĦAR for N2K
Thank you for your attention! Carlos Minguell/Oceana LIFE BaĦAR for N2K