Pantelleria's marine biodiversity between threats and protection
Launched by an unusual partnership between activists, fishermen and researchers, the PANTHER project (Pantelleria Benthic Habitat Recovery) promotes the protection and restoration of the Campobello shoal, a coastal area of Pantelleria, once rich in biodiversity, now suffering habitat loss and a decline in fish resources.
Pantelleria is a volcanic island located in the Strait of Sicily, between Italy and Tunisia. Due to the richness of its waters, the sea of Pantelleria has historically attracted fishing fleets from Sicily, Sardinia, Malta and Tunisia.
Although isolated and mostly subject to artisanal fishing, Pantelleria has not been spared from the impacts of human activities and climate change affecting the entire Mediterranean basin.
To counteract such decline, PANTHER aims to adopt an innovative approach that promotes ecological resilience, serving as an example of good practice for similar realities in the Mediterranean.
The project is promoted by the Polytechnic University of Marche, the Fishermen's Association of Pantelleria, Yam Sub and MedReAct.
An area that has lost biodiversity due to degraded marine ecosystems
The Campobello shoal is an area of 200m2 located 500 meters from the coast of Pantelleria, characterized by depths of more than 40 meters and by strong currents.
The latter render the area particularly abundant in nutrients and therefore rich in biodiversity. This key area has been identified by the Pantelleria small fishermen association as a nursery and spawning ground for various fish species, attracted by habitats such as coralligenous and Posidonia oceanica.
The project’s restoration will be characterized by the transplanting of Posidonia, white and red gorgonian and sponges, which will contribute to the recovery of the area.
Posidonia, gorgonians and sponges are considered “ecosystem engineers”, that is, species capable of providing food and protection to other organisms, forming real underwater agglomerates of biodiversity.
These transplants will be monitored, with the island’s diving centers, through photogrammetry, a technique providing high-quality 3D images of the seabed.
Currently, 79% of coastal seabed in Europe is considered to be physically disturbed by trawling. Ecological restoration is therefore an essential process not only for biodiversity regeneration, but also for the ecosystem services that these habitats provide and which are essential for human survival.
Restoring means contributing to the recovery of degraded or destroyed ecosystems, as well as preserving ecosystems that are still intact.
Furthermore, restoration can accelerate the recovery of the abundance and diversity of species with spillover effects on neighbouring areas, it can increase the resilience to climate change and it can limit the spread of invasive species.
