Présentation du projet REPAIR 2.0 (2024 – 2026)
Un projet réalisé avec le soutien de la Fondation de la MER, de l'Université de Liège et du FNRS.
Repair 2.0: Restoration of areas destroyed by anchoring in Posidonia meadows
Posidonia meadows, an endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea, provide numerous ecosystem services, but are threatened by the impact of human activities, particularly anchoring. The Repair 2.0 project, developed as a continuation of Arnaud Boulenger's thesis (UR FOCUS) in collaboration with the Station de recherches sous-marines et océanographiques (STARESO) and with the support of the Fondation de la MER and the FNRS, aims to bring these precious seagrass beds back to life.
T
he seagrass meadows formed by Magniolophytes (flowering plants) provide a wide range of essential ecosystem services: a reservoir of biodiversity, breeding and feeding grounds for numerous species, water filtration, oxygen production and protection against coastal erosion.
Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile, a species endemic to the Mediterranean Sea, forms vast seagrass beds between 0 and 40 m depth. Unfortunately, a recent estimate shows that the area covered by this habitat has shrunk by around 30% over the last 50 years.
This ecosystem is threatened by anthropogenic activities such as climate change, coastal urbanization, water pollution, dredging, trawling and the anchoring of pleasure boats. Anchoring has proved to be one of the most important reasons for the large-scale degradation of the meadows, due to the repeated anchoring of pleasure craft during the summer season. However, it has been shown that intensive anchoring can lead to chemical modifications of the sediment, notably through the intrusion of hydrogen sulfide, which reduces the potential for recolonization of the meadow. What's more, the bare surfaces created as a result of anchoring constitute a substrate conducive to the installation and development of invasive species, such as the alga Caulerpa cylindracea. In June 2019, the Préfecture Maritime of the French Mediterranean issued a new decree (N°123/2019) formally prohibiting anchoring in Posidonia meadows. This new decree will significantly reduce the impact of anchoring on Posidonia meadows.
The Repair 2.0 project (for REstoration of anthropogenic PAtches in PosIdonia ocanica meadows) is a continuation of the doctoral thesis of Arnaud Boulenger, FNRS Aspirant at Laboratoire de Océanographie biologique of the FOCUS research unit (Promoter Sylvie Gobert) with the collaboration of the Station de recherches sous-marines et océanographiques (Director Michel Marengo), ideally located in the Bay of Calvi in Corsica. The project aims to restore the longitudinal anthropogenic intermatches (anchoring furrows) created by the anchoring of large pleasure boats in Posidonia meadows, and to encourage the recolonization of lost surfaces using cuttings transplanted onto gabions (rectangular parallelepipeds made of metal mesh filled with stones) and is divided into 3 phases:
- Determination of study sites-Installation of gabions.
- Monitoring of morphological and physiological parameters of cuttings.
- Estimation of the cost/benefit ratio in relation to natural recolonization, as well as the implementation of these measures on a Mediterranean scale.
Pour en savoir plus
Boulenger, A., Roberty, S., Lopez Velosa, M. M., Marengo, M., & Gobert, S. (14 June 2024). The Use of PhotoBiological Parameters to Assess the Establishment Success of Posidonia oceanica Cuttings after Transplantation. Water, 16 (12), 1702. doi:10.3390/w16121702
Richir, J., Champenois, W., Engels, G., Abadie, A., Gobert, S., Lepoint, G., Silva, J., Santos, R., Sirjacobs, D., & Borges, A. (31 January 2020). A 15-Month Survey of Dimethylsulfoniopropionate and Dimethylsulfoxide Content in Posidonia oceanica. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7 (510), 1-15. doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00510
Abadie, A., Richir, J., Lejeune, P., Leduc, M., & Gobert, S. (31 May 2019). Structural Changes of Seagrass Seascapes Driven by Natural and Anthropogenic Factors: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, 7. doi:10.3389/fevo.2019.00190
Abadie, A., Pace, M., Gobert, S., & Borg, J. (2018). Seascape ecology in Posidonia oceanica seagrass meadows: Linking structure and ecological processes for management. Ecological Indicators, 87, 1-13. doi:10.1016/j.ecolind.2017.12.029
Gobert, S., & Abadie, A. (2018). La plante de la mer du milieu. La louvière, Belgium : Le livre en papier.
Gobert, S., Cambridge, M. L., Velimirov, Pergent, G., Lepoint, G., Bouquegneau, J.-M., Dauby, P., PergentMartini, C., & Walker, D. (2006). Biology of Posidonia. In A. W. Larkum, R. J. Orth, ... C. M. Duarte (Eds.), Seagrasses: Biology, Ecology and Conservation (pp. 387-408). Springer. doi:10.1007/978-1-4020-2983-7_17
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Published on 7/12/24
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