REPOSIDONIA PROJECT :

Together with Blue Marine Foundation, we are very pleased to continue supporting iSea’s critical Reposidonia project that seeks to promote the protection and conservation of the most threatened Posidonia Meadows of the Ionian.

The main threat to Posidonia meadows is habitat degradation by human activities. The degradation is attributed to a series of stresses on the species including fishing and aquaculture, coastal development and uncontrolled anchorage.

Due to its importance, Posidonia meadows are protected by the Barcelona Convention, the Bern Convention, the Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), and the EU Regulation (1967/2006/EC) which prohibits fishing with dynamic fishing gear over the meadows.

iSea has developed the programme REPOSIDONIA: an umbrella project with numerous actions across Greece that seek to highlight the importance of recognising this protected status and ensuring the preservation of the most precious Posidonia seabeds – including those of the Ionian Sea.

The Posidonia Meadows of the Eastern Ionian Sea are seriously effected by the high level of human pressures. The tourist industry and the vast number of boats and cruise ships have a dramatic impact on the meadows, whilst a variety of other anthropogenic activities leave their mark on the distribution and the health of the meadows in the area, including:

• Fish farming
• Illegal fishing with beach seines
• Poor sewage treatment
• Mining

To address these threats iSea will engage in a long-term project with multiple steps that ultimately aim to prioritise the Posidonia meadows requiring immediate intervention to improve the conservation measures and management of these selected sites.

Measurable Actions include: