Transcript Reasons for participating as a pilot site

How Is Miramare Doing?
WWF-Riserva naturale marina di Miramare
Reasons for participating as a pilot site
• Miramare is the oldest MPA in Italy (1986)
• Miramare is one of the smallest MPA in Italy (120 hectares)
• Miramare could be considered as a “Town park”
• Miramare did not have an evaluation program to measure effectiveness…
Now we have one!
Miramare MPA overview
The Miramare Natural Marine
Reserve
(45°42'N; 13°42'E)
• Located about 8 km from the city
of Trieste, Italy.
• Coastline of 1,700 m and an area of
120 hectares, divided into:
–a core zone (30 hectares)
–buffer zone (90 hectares)
• The maximum depth reaches 18 m.
Miramare MPA overview
Major ecological features :
- Tidal flats with significant tidal range (about
2 m)
- High temperature variation in the water
column
- Fresh water flows from rain and watershed
systems
- Coastal currents influenced by strong winds
- Both soft and hard bottoms represented
along the coast
- Input of new oxygenated water into
Mediterranean Sea
- Eurihaline and eurithermal benthic
communities.
Major goals and objectives of Miramare MPA
Goal(s)
Objective(s)
To protect and maintain
northern Adriatic
(Mediterranean sea)
biodiversity (habitat,
populations, species)
To protect in space and in time focal
species that are targeted for human
use (both extractive and non
extractive)
To monitor the evolution in time and
in space of habitat and/or
populations and/or species
To protect and maintain
northern Adriatic
(Mediterranean sea)
biodiversity (habitat,
populations, species)
To maintain esthetic values of the
area under the natural and artistic
point of view
To spread the knowledge regarding
marine biology, eco- sustainability,
conservation, importance of mpa
presence on the territory
To protect and maintain
northern Adriatic
(Mediterranean sea)
biodiversity (habitat,
populations, species)
To manage effectively the mpa and
to reduce coastal resource use
conflicts
How was the project incorporated into existing
programs at the Miramare MPA
One staff member was appointed to do the field-testing
evaluation (part-time) and was responsible for:
• Using and adapting the guidebook to the MPA
• Organizing meeting with the other staff members in order
to coordinate the collection of the data needed to do the
evaluation
• Preparing the report (evaluation and demonstration case)
• Organizing a final meeting with the MPA staff to interpret
the results and to plan future activities (e.g. adaptive
management strategy)
Selected Indicators from the Draft Guidebook
Goal(s)
Objective(s)
Selected
Indicator(s)
To protect and maintain
northern Adriatic
(Mediterranean sea)
biodiversity (habitat,
populations, species)
To protect in space and in time focal Biophysical
species that are targeted for human indicators
use (both extractive and non
1,7,11
extractive)
To monitor the evolution in time and
in space of habitat and/or
populations and/or species
To protect and maintain
northern Adriatic
(Mediterranean sea)
biodiversity (habitat,
populations, species)
To maintain esthetic values of the
area under the natural and artistic
point of view
To spread the knowledge regarding
marine biology, eco- sustainability,
conservation, importance of mpa
presence on the territory
Socioeconomic
indicators
8/9,12,13,15,16
To protect and maintain
northern Adriatic
(Mediterranean sea)
biodiversity (habitat,
populations, species)
To manage effectively the mpa and
to reduce coastal resource use
conflicts
Governance
indicators
2,3,10,12
What was needed to apply the guidebook
Method(s)/instrument(s) from the
Guidebook
Indicator #
Biophysical
Socioeconomic
1
Visual census technique
7
Analysis of the water column with
CTD probes and Surfer  software
11
Differential GPS (Trimble),
ArcView  software
8/9
12
Method suggested by the Guide
book
Method suggested by the Guide
book
13
Method suggested by the Guide
book
15
Method suggested by the Guide
book
16
Method suggested by the Guide
book
2
Method suggested by the Guide
book
3
Method suggested by the Guide
book
10
Method suggested by the Guide
book
12
Method suggested by the Guide
book
Governance
Other Method(s)/instrument(s)
used in your site
Classes of abundance (HarmeliVivien et al., 1985) and training
on size classes
Interwievs to the regional agency
Major challenges of the indicators evaluation
Biophysical indicators 1:
Out of the 7 fish species counted:
• 6 (adults) are more abundant within the MPA core area – 1
(juvenile) was more abundant outside the MPA core area (buffer
zone)
• The recruitment area of the 6 (adults) is supposed to be far away
from the MPA
• The recruitment area of the species (juvenile) is close the MPA area.
• A possible interpretation of these results is that there’s a “spill over”
effect of the species found more abundant outside the MPA.
“Focal species abundance” data should be enriched by
ethological (behavioral) studies.
Major challenges of the indicators evaluation
Biophysical indicators 7
• Oceanographic physical data is not an indicator of the MPA
effectiveness in terms of water quality
• Miramare just monitor the water quality, the responsible for water
quality is another regional agency.
• Miramare cannot control this variable, only report changes on it.
The role of Miramare is to educate the community and the
decision- makers in order to limit the impact of human
pollution.
Major challenges of the indicators evaluation
Socioeconomic and governance (S-E 8/9, 12, 15,: Gov 2)
• The evaluation of these indicators was measured during winter
time (60 interviews)
• We have only preliminary result
• New data collected during the 2003 summer are currently under
analysis (about 300 interviews were performed)
How results will be used?
(adaptive management strategy)
• Visual census program (inside-outside; research program with the university
of Trieste to decide the “useful” species to count as indicator BPh 1) (Bph 1)
• Creation of areas free from educational activities (Bph 11)
• Research focused on recruitment of focal species (Bph 1)
• Socioeconomic and governance research program with the University of
Trieste (S-E & Gov indicators)
• Creation of a new enforcement procedure with the CDP in order to do a more
efficient control of the MPA (Gov 11)
• Improved procedures for disseminating scientific results obtained from studies
within the MPA and the surrounding area (S-E & Gov indicators)