The activity T1.1 of IMPRECO Project aims to produce an inventory of species, habitats, ecosystems and ecosystems services forming a transnational biodiversity baseline, also intended as the first step in the assessment of ecosystem quality status. Seven Protected Areas (PAs) inside the Adriatic- Ionian Region have been selected: Isonzo River Mouth Regional Nature Reserve, Bosco Nordio Nature Reserve and Aquatina di Frigole in Italy, Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve in Slovenia, Pakleni otoci Islands in Croatia, Shkodra Lake and Buna Delta in Albania and North-Eastern Edge of Crete in Greece.
The data collection has been arranged primarily according to the most recent NATURA 2000 Standard Data Form (i.e., the format for the transmission of information on the NATURA 2000 network), secondarily based on the analysis of data referred to PAs (species checklists, scientific literature, personal observations, map of habitats, indigenous and non-indigenous species) and also on the results of field sampling activities.
The researchers of the University of Salento have merged and processed all the information collected by Project Partners (PPs) in each PA creating a comprehensive table of biodiversity listing species and habitats. The table columns include the following categories: Protected area, Country, NATURA 2000 name and site code, taxonomic identification, NATURA 2000 species code, main habitat used by the species, protection level, alien or indigenous species and references. Species are gathered by taxonomic groups, that is, Algae, Amphibians, Birds, Invertebrates, Mammals, Plants, Fish, Reptiles, and matched with the habitat used. At the same time, the presence of invasive alien species is reported referring to the European Alien Species Information Network (EASIN).
Taking into consideration the species listed in the NATURA 2000 Standard Data Form, a total of 397 species belonging to 8 taxonomic groups have been identified as inhabiting the six pilot NATURA 2000 PAs: 156 inside the Isonzo River Mouth Regional Nature Reserve, 81 in the North-Eastern Edge of Crete, 66 in Shkodra Lake and Buna Delta while Bosco Nordio, Aquatina di Frigole and Škocjanski zatok Nature Reserve are home of 51, 41 and 2 species, respectively. No NATURA 2000 species have been recorded in Pakleni otoci Islands, being only protected under the Croatian Regulation (OJ 80/2013, 73/2016); while Shkodra and Buna Delta are protected within the Emerald Network under the Bern Convention. Additionally, new NATURA 2000 species have been investigated during IMPRECO sampling activities (e.g., Pinna nobilis in Aquatina di Frigole).
In detail, the total number of species of each taxonomic group is: 212 Birds, representing the largest taxonomic group, 137 Plants, 40 Invertebrates, 30 Fish, 21 Mammals, 21 Reptiles, 16 Amphibians and only 9 species of Macroalgae.
The pilot PAs, which are all NATURA 2000 sites except for Shkodra Lake and Buna Delta in Albania, include a total of 52 habitats covering 38.530 hectares. Some of these have been given “priority” status, like the habitat named “Posidonia beds (Posidonion oceanicae)” included in the Annex 1 of the EU Habitats Directive with the code 1120. Such habitats, in danger of disappearance in their natural range, have a higher degree of protection compared to ‘non-priority’ habitats. The most common habitat types in the pilot PAs are two habitats belonging to the Mediterranean biogeographical region called “Salicornia and other annuals colonizing mud and sand” and “Mediterranean and thermo-Atlantic halophilous scrubs (Sarcocornetea fruticosi)”.
Finally, the classification to define the ES has been based on the EU Biodiversity 2010 Baseline approach implying that CORINE Land Cover (CLC) classes which are aggregated into ecosystem types/EUNIS habitat classes (Maes et al., 2013 and 2014). Then, the classes of ecosystem services have been assessed for each PA based on the benefits given by related ES, in accordance with the Common International Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES, 2018).
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