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Biodiversity

Biodiversity in our planet has not a random distribution, but following patterns determined by the geology, the climate and the evolutional history of the planet. Those patterns have received the name of ecoregions (WWF Spain). One ecoregion is a vast unit of land or water that contains a collection of species, communities and environmental conditions that distinguish it geographically from other regions. WWF Spain divides the land surface of the Earth into 8 major ecozones containing 867 smaller terrestrial ecoregions.

The recognition of these ecoregions is important for:

1. The conservation plans of natural areas

2. The knowledge of native species

3. The endemic species protection

The Mediterranean

Cada año el Mediterráneo recibe el vertido deliberado de 2 millones de toneladas de contaminantes. El mar Mediterráneo está muy contaminado, dos tercios de esta contaminación es debida fundamentalmente al vertido de aguas residuales industriales y urbanas, ya sea porque se vierten directamente, o porque el tratamiento de las aguas residuales antes de su vertido es insuficiente.. Según el WWF, el 70% de la contaminación industrial Española que se vierte al mediterráneo vienen de la provincia de Cataluña.

Aparte de esta contaminación, hay que tener en cuenta la limpieza de sentinas en alta mar y el derrame accidental de barriles de petróleo, lo que constituye una importante vía de contaminación de hidrocarburos en el Mediterráneo. En el último decenio, se derramaron de forma accidental un promedio de 600.000 barriles de petróleo por año desde buques, lo que equivale a 12 desastres de la magnitud del hundimiento del Prestige en 2002 (ADENA-WWF). Dada la frecuencia de estos desastres, el ministerio de Medio Ambiente tiene un protocolo de actuación ante el vertido accidental de hidrocarburos. Por su parte la Ley 27/1992 de Puertos del Estado y de la Marina Mercante, en su artículo 74, prevé que "la política de Marina Mercante se dirigirá, entre otros a la consecución de los siguientes objetivos: ...la protección del medio ambiente marino"

Seamounts

Seamounts are real “oasis” amidst the open sea. Seamounts are considered as geological elevations that reach at least 1.000 meters high. Possibly there exist in the world more than 100,000 seamounts whether in isolation or as part of extensive mountain ranges.

Seamounts are rich in nutrients and animal species such as birds, turtles, cetacean and sharks. Nutrients accumulate around seamounts thanks to its particular morphology and the circulating currents. The nutrients will up to areas with more light, providing food for many animals. For all this they are unique marine habitats. Within the proposed areas of INDEMARES we can find seamounts in Seco de los Olivos and Banco de Galicia.

The Loggerhead sea turtle

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) can be found in all oceans and is the most abundant sea turtle in the Mediterranean. In Spanish waters, the loggerhead turtle is distributed in pelagic waters used as feeding areas. In fact, in the western zone, thousands of juvenile and subadult loggerhead sea turtles are congregated during the summer months (June to September). The highest density of individuals occurs around the archipelago of the Balearic Islands, Ibiza channel and Alborán Sea.

It usually nests on tropical beaches but also subtropical. The loggerhead turtle uses migration corridors for its movements between nesting areas and feeding areas.

Worldwide loggerhead turtle populations are declining, and they are included as priority specie for conservation in Annex II of the European Commission’s Habitats Directive. Therefore it is one of the main species in the INDEMARES Project.