HEATMED - Mediterranean coastal ecosystems in the Anthropocene: how marine heat waves are transforming marine benthic habitats?

Abstract

The Mediterranean Sea is one of the worst-affected areas by climate change in the world since warming occurs at a rate 20% faster than the world’s average. The projects MPA-Engage (Interreg MED) and HeatMed (Ministry Science, Innovation and Universities) aim to contribute to our understanding on the ongoing and future climate change impacts in coastal rocky habitats and develop solutions to adapt and mitigate the expected impacts. The research will be focus on the impacts of marine heatwaves using different approaches such as the analysis of unique ecological series, literature reviews and meta-analysis using innovative quantitative ecological tools as well as novel modelling approaches. Regarding the solutions, MPA-Engage is devoted to put Marine Protected Areas in the frontline for climate change adaptation. The project MPA-Engage will monitor in a harmonized way the climate change impacts including citizen science initiatives and will elaborate vulnerability assessments on ecological and socio-economic settings in order to develop climate change adaptation action plans in 7 Marine Protected Areas located in 6 Mediterranean countries. The main expected outcome is to ensure the delivery of well-targeted, effective and applicable measures on climate change adaptation in marine protected areas at Mediterranean level