ORCID

Abstract

Global marine conservation remains fractured by an imbalance in research efforts and policy actions, limiting progression towards sustainability. Rhodolith beds represent a prime example, as they have ecological importance on a global scale, provide a wealth of ecosystem functions and services, including biodiversity provision and potential climate change mitigation, but remain disproportionately understudied, compared to other coastal ecosystems (tropical coral reefs, kelp forests, mangroves, seagrasses). Although rhodolith beds have gained some recognition, as important and sensitive habitats at national/regional levels during the last decade, there is still a notable lack of information and, consequently, specific conservation efforts. We argue that the lack of information about these habitats, and the significant ecosystem services they provide, is hindering the development of effective conservation measures and limiting wider marine conservation success. This is becoming a pressing issue, considering the multiple severe pressures and threats these habitats are exposed to (e.g., pollution, fishing activities, climate change), which may lead to an erosion of their ecological function and ecosystem services. By synthesizing the current knowledge, we provide arguments to highlight the importance and urgency of levelling-up research efforts focused on rhodolith beds, combating rhodolith bed degradation and avoiding the loss of associated biodiversity, thus ensuring the sustainability of future conservation programs.

Publication Date

2023-09-20

Publication Title

Science of the Total Environment

Volume

892

ISSN

0048-9697

Acceptance Date

2023-06-09

Deposit Date

2023-06-17

Embargo Period

2024-06-11

Funding

NS was funded by the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmes under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie Grant agreement No. 844703, by Portuguese National Funds from FCT-Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia through an Assistant researcher grant (2020.01282.CEECIND), and by a FCT/CAPES project (2019.00067.CBM). This study also received FCT funding through projects UIDB/04326/2020, UIDP/04326/2020, and LA/P/0101/2020, and through the Spanish Science and Innovation Ministry (project ‘POPCORN’, PID2021-124257OB-I00). PAH was supported by grants from FAPESC, FINEP/Rede CLIMA (01.13.0353-00) and CNPq-Universal (426215/2016-8) and FB was funded by ANID/BASAL CHIC FB210018. RBFF acknowledges grants from CAPES (Edital 22/2019) and CNPq (#309651/2021-2). JH-S was funded by the ‘International Educational and Research Laboratory Program’, University of Tsukuba and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science ICONA Core-to-Core Program (Grant No: JPJSCCA20210006). LCH is currently supported by funds of the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture (BMEL) based on a decision of the Parliament of the Federal Republic of Germany via the Federal Office for Agriculture and Food (BLE) under the innovation support programme (Project Numbers 28-1-A1.049-16, 281DL02B20). ACR was supported by a Post-doctoral grant SFRH/BPD/117810/2016 from the Portuguese Science Foundation (FCT). FR acknowledges the NBFC support to the Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn, funded by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, PNRR, Missione 4, Componente 2, “Dalla ricerca all'impresa” (Investimento 1.4 Project CN00000033).

Keywords

Marine conservation, Coralline algae, Maerl, Impacts, Management

Download

Share

COinS