Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemo-synthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea. Dark Habitats Action Plan

Plan d'action pour la conservation des habitats et espèces associés aux monts sous-marins, aux grottes sous-marines et canyons, aux fonds durs aphotiques et phénomènes chimio-synthétiques en mer Méditerranée (Plan d'Action pour les Habitats Obscurs)

Gérard Pergent (1) , Ricardo Aguilar (2) , Enric Ballesteros (3) , Hocein Bazairi (4) , Carlo Nike Bianchi (5) , Ghazi Bitar (6) , Joseph Borg (7) , Pierre Chevaldonne (8) , Boris Daniel (9) , Vassilis Gerovasileiou (10) , Jean Georges Harmelin (11) , Francesco Mastrototaro (12) , A Ouerghi (13) , Thierry Perez (8) , Christine Pergent-Martini (1) , Stéphane Sartoretto (14) , Patrick Schembri (7) , Virginie Tilot (13) , Leonardo Tunesi (15) , Jean Vacelet (8)

1 FRES 3041 - Fédération de recherche Environnement et Société
2 OCEANA
3 CEAB - Centre d'Estudis Avançats de Blanes
4 UM5 - Université Mohammed V de Rabat [Agdal]
5 DISTAV - Department of Earth, Environmental and Life Sciences
6 LU / ULB - الجامعة اللبنانية [بيروت] = Lebanese University [Beirut] = Université libanaise [Beyrouth]
7 UNIVERSITY OF MALTA - Faculty of Science, Department of Biology
8 IMBE - Institut méditerranéen de biodiversité et d'écologie marine et continentale
9 Agence des Aires Marines Protégées
10 HCMR - Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
11 MIO - Institut méditerranéen d'océanologie
12 UNIBA - Università degli studi di Bari Aldo Moro = University of Bari Aldo Moro
13 RAC/SPA - Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas
14 IFREMER - Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer
15 I.C.R.A.M. - Central Institute for Applied Marine Research

The Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemosynthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea follows a series of eight Action plans adopted by the Mediterranean countries within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, devoted to the conservation of species or groups of species. These Action plans are: •Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal •Action Plan for the conservation of marine turtles •Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans •Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation •Action Plan for the conservation of bird species registered in annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol •Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fi shes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea •Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species •Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean Sea Dark Habitats are considered as sensitive habitats requiring protection (Directive 92/43), fragile and constitute veritable reservoirs of biodiversity that, therefore, must be protected and need further attention. This draft Action plan was the result of a Meeting of the ad hoc group of Mediterranean experts, nominated in consultation with the Contracting Parties and relevant partner organizations (Marseilles (France), May 2013). It was reviewed and adopted by the Eleventh Meeting of Focal Points for SPAs (Rabat - Morocco, 2 - 5 July 2013). The Action Plan was adopted in the Eighteenth Ordinary Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean and its Protocols (Istanbul - Turkey, 3-6 December 2013).

Domaines: Biodiversité et Ecologie

Gérard Pergent, Ricardo Aguilar, Enric Ballesteros, Hocein Bazairi, Carlo Nike Bianchi, et al. (Dir.). Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemo-synthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea. Dark Habitats Action Plan. UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA. UNEP-MAP-RAC/SPA, pp.1-40, 2015. ⟨hal-01297232⟩