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

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

doi:10.3897/BDJ.9.e67169

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

Biodivers Data J. 2021 May 27:9:e67169. doi: 10.3897/BDJ.9.e67169. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Francesco Zangaro^{1

2}, Gabriele Marini¹, Valeria Specchia¹, Matteo De Luca³, Francesca Visintin⁴, Giovanna Bullo⁵, Jacopo Richard⁵, Nataša Šalaja⁶, Bia Rakar⁶, Bojana Lipej⁶, Jelena Kurtović Mrčelić⁷, Gvido Piasevoli⁷, Ante Žuljević⁸, Nada Zaimi⁹, Djana Bejko⁹, Abdulla Diku⁹, Aliki Karousou¹⁰, Eleni Hatziyanni¹⁰, Massimiliano Pinat¹¹, Maurizio Pinna^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, S.P. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100, Lecce, Italy Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Technologies, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, S.P. Lecce-Monteroni, 73100 Lecce Italy.
² Research Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Aquatina di Frigole, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, 73100, Lecce, Italy Research Centre for Fisheries and Aquaculture of Aquatina di Frigole, DiSTeBA, University of Salento, 73100 Lecce Italy.
³ Nature Reserve of Isonzo Rivermouth, For-Nature S.r.l, Via T. Ciconi 26, 33100, Udine, Italy Nature Reserve of Isonzo Rivermouth, For-Nature S.r.l, Via T. Ciconi 26, 33100 Udine Italy.
⁴ Friuli Innovazione Research and Technology Transfer Centre, Via Linussio 51, 33100, Udine, Italy Friuli Innovazione Research and Technology Transfer Centre, Via Linussio 51, 33100 Udine Italy.
⁵ Veneto Agricoltura, Veneto Region's Agency for the innovation in the primary sector, Viale dell'Università 14, 35020, Legnaro, Italy Veneto Agricoltura, Veneto Region's Agency for the innovation in the primary sector, Viale dell'Università 14, 35020 Legnaro Italy.
⁶ DOPPS-BirdLife Slovenia, Tržaška cesta 2, 1000, Ljubljana, Slovenia DOPPS-BirdLife Slovenia, Tržaška cesta 2, 1000 Ljubljana Slovenia.
⁷ Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas in the County of Split and Dalmatia "Sea and Karst", Prilaz braće Kaliterna 10, 21000, Split, Croatia Public Institution for the Management of Protected Areas in the County of Split and Dalmatia "Sea and Karst", Prilaz braće Kaliterna 10, 21000 Split Croatia.
⁸ Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Laboratory for benthos, Split, Croatia Institute of Oceanography and Fisheries, Laboratory for benthos Split Croatia.
⁹ Albanian Development Fund, Sami Frasheri 10, 1000, Tirana, Albania Albanian Development Fund, Sami Frasheri 10, 1000 Tirana Albania.
¹⁰ Region of Crete, Directorate of Environment and Spatial Planning, Eleftherias Street, 71201, Heraklion, Greece Region of Crete, Directorate of Environment and Spatial Planning, Eleftherias Street, 71201 Heraklion Greece.
¹¹ Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology of the National Research Council (CNR-IRBIM), Via S. Raineri 86, 98122, Messina, Italy Institute for Marine Biological Resources and Biotechnology of the National Research Council (CNR-IRBIM), Via S. Raineri 86, 98122 Messina Italy.

Abstract

Background: 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.

New information: 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.

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

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