Co.Me.Bi.S. - Urgent conservation measures for biodiversity of Central Mediterranean Sea

The main project objective was to safeguard and to restore eight coastal or marine SCIs in the Lazio region and for one marine site in Calabria, particularly important for the conservation of coastal and marine Mediterranean biodiversity, including habitats and species of EU interest, some of which 'priority' (sensu Habitat Directive). These actions focused on the drawing up of planning documents (Action Plans, Guidelines, Management Plans etc). Some pilot actions were carried out in each site. The actual conservation works included the establishment of protection measures (fences, marked footpaths), the excavation of Phragmites, and the establishment of islets in a coastal lagoon. Others actions were the installation of buoys to delineate the marine SCI, the restoration of footpaths for guided visits, the plantation of local species to consolidate eroded slopes and the installation of submerged concrete barriers to protect the priority Posidonia beds against trawl nets. All the actions were accompanied by monitoring activities that have contributed to increasing knowledge of the sites and to informing on the impacts of the measures. The monitoring activities were reported in the recently-established ‘Regional Biodiversity Observatory’. Finally various information and dissemination activities were carried out by the project.