Els ecosistemes marins a Catalunya: valoració, impactes i actuacions per a la seva preservació

Abstract

Here we review the main human-mediated environmental impacts in the coasts and sea bottoms of Catalonia (Northeast Spain, Western Mediterranean), we list some of the management actions that are being performed by the state and local administrations to reduce or slow-down these impacts, and finally we give some recommendations in order to improve the environmental quality of the highly degraded Catalan coast. Overfishing, pollution (urban, industrial, agricultural), habitat destruction and modification mediated by trawling, coastal erosion, beach regeneration, building of harbours and marinas, and aggressive urbanization for tourism, probably are the main environmental impacts affecting the benthic communities and the adjacent coastal areas. Creation of marine reserves, waste water treatment, implementation of the Water Framework Directive (2000/60/CEE) and the Habitats Directive (92/43/CEE), monitoring of introduced species, and legislation about conservation of some habitats and species (e.g. seagrass meadows) are amongst the current management measures aimed at protecting the coastal environments. Recommendations that can be made in order to improve the environmental quality and the management of coastal and underwater habitats are (1) increase the knowledge on species (check-lists) and habitats (composition, processes), (2) obtain an accurate cartography of underwater communities and seascapes, (3) improve the management of marine reserves, (4) create marine reserves or sanctuaries in places other than coastal rocky bottoms, (5) implement the Water Framework Directive and the Habitats Directive, with the inclusion in the Natura 2000 areas of representatives of most of the seascapes of Catalonia, (6) reduce trawling, (7) make an appropiate management of artisanal and trawl fisheries, (8) stop the current rates of coastline modification, (9) avoid the construction of new harbours and marinas and (10) regulate the current rates of coastal occupation and urbanization.