According to a report published by the NGO WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) on World Oceans Day , these are the dangers that threaten the health of Mare Nostrum:
Rising temperature
Due to its particular geography, since it is a practically closed sea , and climate change, the Mediterranean is warming at a rate 20% faster than the median of the rest of the world’s oceans. There has been talk of the ‘ tropicalization ‘ of the Mediterranean for a long time, a fact that can affect the flow of marine currents and, therefore, the species that inhabit it.
Maritime trade
The intense maritime traffic, both in the interior of the Mediterranean, and through the Suez Canal or the Strait of Gibraltar, apart from releasing polluting substances for the health of the ecosystems, also contributes to the arrival of non-native species , that is to say, that they do not belong to the waters of our sea. Some of these living beings have an invasive potential and compete with native species for habitat and resources, and may even extinguish them. It is estimated that in recent years we have brought about a thousand exotic species from warmer waters, the establishment of which has been favored by the increase in the temperature of the Mediterranean.
The loss of the seabed
In addition to trawling, ship anchors and coastal development for tourist purposes , climate change is also added: high temperatures and increased intensity in storms are destroying the Posidonia oceanica meadows, the colonies of gorgonians (coral) and some bivalves , such as nacras, becoming locally extinct.
Acidification of water
Climate change causes water to be more acidic globally , something that weakens the calcium carbonate structures of organisms such as mollusks, crustaceans, phytoplankton and corals. The extinction of these animals would mean the loss of habitat for numerous species; it would have dramatic consequences for the entire food chain and would cause a sharp decrease in the carbon-binding capacity of the oceans.
Overfishing
Apart from the loss of protected species due to non-selective types of fishing, the elimination of large predators leads to large accumulations of organisms from lower levels in the food chain, such as jellyfish explosions on our beaches.
In an interview for the newspaper El Periódico, the expert in marine protected areas of WWF Spain, Óscar Esparza, argues that ” well-managed marine protected areas can contribute a lot to reducing stress on marine populations .” For this reason, the WWF report requires politicians to toughen climate actions that protect and promote Mediterranean biodiversity , in upcoming climate conventions, such as the United Nations Conference on Climate Change in 2021 (COP26).
References:
THE CLIMATE CHANGE EFFECT IN THE MEDITERRANEAN. Six stories from an overheating sea. WWF. Link: https://wwfeu.awsassets.panda.org/downloads/final_wwf_med_cc_6_case_studies_2021.pdf
