Draft Guidelines for Inventoring and Monitoring of Dark Habitats

Abstract

Dark habitats1 are distributed throughout the Mediterranean basin from the sea surface (i.e. caves) to the deep-sea realm. Various habitats of unique scientific and conservation interest are included in this broad habitat category, such as dark caves, submarine canyons, seamounts and chemo-synthetic features supporting sensitive assemblages which require special protection. Therefore, dark habitats were considered under the Action Plan adopted in the Eighteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (Turkey, December 2013). In the context of implementation schedule of the Dark Habitats Action Plan (UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA, 2015a) a set of guidelines should be identified aiming to reduce the imminent pressures and threats affecting these vulnerable assemblages. This document aims to establish guidelines for inventorying and monitoring Mediterranean deep-sea habitats and marine caves in order to settle the basis for a regional-based assessment.