MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management

Citizen science (CS) projects may provide community-based ecosystem monitoring, expanding our ability to collect data across space and time. However, the data from CS are often not effectively integrated into institutional monitoring programs and decision-making processes, especially in marine conse...

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Autores principales:	Eva Turicchia, Carlo Cerrano, Matteo Ghetta, Marco Abbiati, Massimo Ponti
Formato:	article
Lenguaje:	EN
Publicado:	Elsevier 2021
Materias:	Community-based ecosystem monitoring Coralligenous habitats Climate change Impact assessment Species sensitivity Temperate reefs Ecology QH540-549.5
Acceso en línea:	https://doaj.org/article/bab00300455f4d8f8eb73c3da584be67
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spelling	oai:doaj.org-article:bab00300455f4d8f8eb73c3da584be672021-12-01T04:41:47ZMedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management1470-160X10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.107296https://doaj.org/article/bab00300455f4d8f8eb73c3da584be672021-03-01T00:00:00Zhttp://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1470160X20312383https://doaj.org/toc/1470-160XCitizen science (CS) projects may provide community-based ecosystem monitoring, expanding our ability to collect data across space and time. However, the data from CS are often not effectively integrated into institutional monitoring programs and decision-making processes, especially in marine conservation. This limitation is partially due to difficulties in accessing the data and the lack of tools and indices for proper management at intended spatial and temporal scales. MedSens is a biotic index specifically developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats, filling a gap between marine CS and coastal management in the Mediterranean Sea. The MedSens index is based on 25 selected species, incorporating their sensitivities to the pressures indicated by the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and open data on their distributions and abundances, collected by trained volunteers (scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers) using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol. The species sensitivities were assessed relative to their resistance and resilience against physical, chemical, and biological pressures, according to benchmark levels and a literature review. The MedSens index was calibrated on a dataset of 33,021 observations from 569 volunteers (2001–2019), along six countries’ coasts. A free and user-friendly QGIS plugin allows easy index calculation for areas and time frames of interest. The MedSens index was applied to Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) and the management and monitoring zones within Italian MPAs. In the studied cases, the MedSens index responds well to the local pressures documented by previous investigations.MedSens converts the data collected by trained volunteers into an effective monitoring tool for the Mediterranean subtidal rocky coastal habitats. MedSens can help conservationists and decision-makers identify the main pressures acting in these habitats, as required by the MSFD, supporting them in the implementation of appropriate marine biodiversity conservation measures and better communicate the results of their actions. By directly involving stakeholders, this approach increases public awareness and the acceptability of management decisions, enabling more participatory conservation tactics.Eva TuricchiaCarlo CerranoMatteo GhettaMarco AbbiatiMassimo PontiElsevierarticleCommunity-based ecosystem monitoringCoralligenous habitatsClimate changeImpact assessmentSpecies sensitivityTemperate reefsEcologyQH540-549.5ENEcological Indicators, Vol 122, Iss , Pp 107296- (2021)
institution	DOAJ
collection	DOAJ
language	EN
topic	Community-based ecosystem monitoring Coralligenous habitats Climate change Impact assessment Species sensitivity Temperate reefs Ecology QH540-549.5
spellingShingle	Community-based ecosystem monitoring Coralligenous habitats Climate change Impact assessment Species sensitivity Temperate reefs Ecology QH540-549.5 Eva Turicchia Carlo Cerrano Matteo Ghetta Marco Abbiati Massimo Ponti MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
description	Citizen science (CS) projects may provide community-based ecosystem monitoring, expanding our ability to collect data across space and time. However, the data from CS are often not effectively integrated into institutional monitoring programs and decision-making processes, especially in marine conservation. This limitation is partially due to difficulties in accessing the data and the lack of tools and indices for proper management at intended spatial and temporal scales. MedSens is a biotic index specifically developed to provide information on the environmental status of subtidal rocky coastal habitats, filling a gap between marine CS and coastal management in the Mediterranean Sea. The MedSens index is based on 25 selected species, incorporating their sensitivities to the pressures indicated by the European Union’s Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and open data on their distributions and abundances, collected by trained volunteers (scuba divers, free divers and snorkelers) using the Reef Check Mediterranean Underwater Coastal Environment Monitoring (RCMed U-CEM) protocol. The species sensitivities were assessed relative to their resistance and resilience against physical, chemical, and biological pressures, according to benchmark levels and a literature review. The MedSens index was calibrated on a dataset of 33,021 observations from 569 volunteers (2001–2019), along six countries’ coasts. A free and user-friendly QGIS plugin allows easy index calculation for areas and time frames of interest. The MedSens index was applied to Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) and the management and monitoring zones within Italian MPAs. In the studied cases, the MedSens index responds well to the local pressures documented by previous investigations.MedSens converts the data collected by trained volunteers into an effective monitoring tool for the Mediterranean subtidal rocky coastal habitats. MedSens can help conservationists and decision-makers identify the main pressures acting in these habitats, as required by the MSFD, supporting them in the implementation of appropriate marine biodiversity conservation measures and better communicate the results of their actions. By directly involving stakeholders, this approach increases public awareness and the acceptability of management decisions, enabling more participatory conservation tactics.
format	article
author	Eva Turicchia Carlo Cerrano Matteo Ghetta Marco Abbiati Massimo Ponti
author_facet	Eva Turicchia Carlo Cerrano Matteo Ghetta Marco Abbiati Massimo Ponti
author_sort	Eva Turicchia
title	MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
title_short	MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
title_full	MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
title_fullStr	MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
title_full_unstemmed	MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
title_sort	medsens index: the bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management
publisher	Elsevier
publishDate	2021
url	https://doaj.org/article/bab00300455f4d8f8eb73c3da584be67
work_keys_str_mv	AT evaturicchia medsensindexthebridgebetweenmarinecitizenscienceandcoastalmanagement AT carlocerrano medsensindexthebridgebetweenmarinecitizenscienceandcoastalmanagement AT matteoghetta medsensindexthebridgebetweenmarinecitizenscienceandcoastalmanagement AT marcoabbiati medsensindexthebridgebetweenmarinecitizenscienceandcoastalmanagement AT massimoponti medsensindexthebridgebetweenmarinecitizenscienceandcoastalmanagement
_version_	1718405816927649792

MedSens index: The bridge between marine citizen science and coastal management

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