engleski

Visitation and conservation of marine caves

Marine caves are vulnerable ecosystems of special conservation interest. These poorly investigated habitats support rich assemblages, including fragile long-living species as well as several protected, rare and bathyal faunal elements. Due to their rich biological diversity and complex geomorphology marine caves are important SCUBA diving hotspots. Internationally, there are various models of management of visitation and conservation of marine caves. The aim of this study was to present a preliminary comparison of different protocols for marine cave visitation, and to examine case studies from marine regions worldwide. Although marine cave habitats have been included in international environmental directives and conservation action plans (e.g. EU and Mediterranean countries) in most countries no specific regulations or management plans are implemented, even for caves located in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Surprisingly, few MPAs (e.g. Rowley Shoals Marine Park in Australia and National Park of Svalbard in Norway) have set specific limitations with regard to divers’ visitation levels in their caves (e.g. annual number of divers). In some cases special official permits are prerequisite for divers to visit marine caves located in protected areas (e.g. Ecological Network of the Republic of Croatia) ; though this regulation is not strictly followed for several caves. The large number of marine caves in coastal areas with extensive rocky outcrops (e.g. eastern Adriatic Sea, Aegean islands) coupled with the fact that few attempts of detailed mapping of their geographical location have been made make it practically impossible to manage human activities (e.g. SCUBA diving, spear fishing, tourist boat tours) and evaluate possible impacts on cave biota. Therefore numerous marine caves are currently exposed to unregulated visitation levels and potentially deleterious practices (e.g. souvenir collection, damage to sessile marine organisms).

marine caves ; biodiversity ; environmental impact ; management

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