The forests of Cystoseira s.l. are true drivers of marine biodiversity and productivity and they are typical of the Mediterranean Sea.
International scientific literature recognises the fundamental role of these algae in providing a wide range of ecosystem services that are necessary to the marine environment and to humans.
Let’s dive deep into the details of the ecosystem services that they provide!
๐ฑ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐จ๐ง ๐ฌ๐๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐ง
According to recent studies, Cystoseira s.l. absorbs large amounts of carbon dioxide through photosynthesis, contributing significantly to climate change mitigation. These algae act as natural carbon storage, limiting the amount of COโ in the atmosphere and oceans.
๐ ๐๐๐๐ข๐ญ๐๐ญ๐ฌ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐จ๐๐ข๐ฏ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
The submerged forests of Cystoseira s.l. are veritable habitat engineers, comparable to terrestrial forests. They provide shelter, food and nursery areas for many marine species, which in turn support commercial and recreational fishing, thus bringing both economic and cultural value. European projects have shown that the presence of Cystoseira s.l. significantly increases the richness and diversity of fish, invertebrates and other associated organisms.
๐ ๐๐จ๐๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ฅ ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐จ๐งย ย
These algae form natural barriers that dissipate wave energy, stabilise sediments and drastically reduce coastal erosion. This is particularly important in a context of increasing extreme events due to climate change.
๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฉ๐ฉ๐จ๐ซ๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ซ ๐๐ข๐ฌ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐ฏ๐ข๐ญ๐ข๐๐ฌ
The presence of Cystoseira s.l. is correlated with an increase in the biomass of fish species of commercial interest, offering direct support to local fisheries. Studies carried out in various areas of the Mediterranean have shown that areas with a high density of Cystoseira s.l. have higher and sustainable catches over time.
๐ง ๐๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ญ๐๐ซ ๐ช๐ฎ๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ญ๐ฒ
In addition, Cystoseira s.l. plays an important function as a bio-indicator of water quality. The ability of these algae to absorb excess nutrients helps to prevent phenomena such as eutrophication and harmful algal blooms, improving the quality of marine waters overall.
Although existing studies on the ecosystem services associated with Cystoseira s.l. are limited, restoration efforts have provided direct evidence for two key services that could be enhanced: nurseries for species of commercial and recreational interest, bioindicators for inorganic pollution and nutrient loads.
The figure comes from the report on the economic and social benefits of ecosystem services from marine restoration for the AFRIMED project. We see the link between the restoration of macroalgae forests and socio-economic benefits. The connections between the ultimate benefits of ecosystem services and their beneficiaries highlight the potential contribution of Cystoseira s.l. restoration. This process starts with the preservation of underwater life, shown on the left side of the figure, and leads to important positive consequences in terms of employment security and economic development, food security and health and well-being, shown on the right side.
In summary, investing in the protection of the forests of Cystoseira s.l. means protecting not only the marine environment, but also the well-being of future generations.
Content by Francesca Visintin.
