Marine natural parks in Catalonia, affected by climate change

Populations of gorgonian and other benthic organisms in the Natural Park of Cap de Creus and Natural Park in Montgrí have experienced a high mortality rate during 2017, due the proliferation of filament algae in the Catalan coast during 2017. This phenomenon could be the result of the high temperatures in spring and summer and the high concentration of nutrients in the environment, according to the report on the monitoring of marine environment in the Natural Park of Cap de Creus and the Natural Park in Montgrí, Medes Islands and Baix Ter.

 

This report, launched by the Catalan Government and carried out by the University of Barcelona, was led by researcher Bernat Hereu, from the Faculty of Biology and the Biodiversity Research Institute of the University of Barcelona (IRBio). This work gathers the first results from the scientific monitoring program launched by the University of Barcelona and Generalitat de Catalunya from 2017 to 2020 to assess the conservation state of these marine parks in the coasts of Catalonia.

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