Enalia Physis and CEF at the FORO MARINO 2023 event.

On Friday, November 17^th, 2023, Valentina Fossati traveled to Ibiza, Spain, representing Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre and the Cyprus Environment Foundation (CEF) at the event FORO MARINO 2023.

It has been a very special opportunity to meet and discover various inspirational case studies dealing with the restoration of ecosystems in the Balearic Islands and successful experiences in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean, in particular from Greece and Italy.

During this event, Valentina had the opportunity to present the project that ran from October 2022 to April 2023 funded by CEF ‘’Monitoring & assisted recruitment of the critically endangered Pinna nobilis’’, which is a continuation of a previous project aiming to monitor the presence of the fan mussel Pinna nobilis in selected MPAs in Cyprus as well as to test the larval collectors, artificial structures used to enhance the recruitment and settlement of the larvae of P. nobilis.

‘’It is the first work carried out in Cyprus since the beginning of the ongoing mass mortality that is affecting and leading P. nobilis to the brink of extinction throughout the Mediterranean. P. nobilis is an endemic species of the Mediterranean Sea. Therefore, it is simple to understand the importance of its conservation’’ Valentina said.

We hope that our work can act as a wake-up call as its continuation is important on a larger scale to keep contributing to international conservation efforts to evaluate the effects of mass mortalities and to increase the potential for P. nobilis perseverance in the Mediterranean Sea.