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Praderas Sumergidas Praderas Sumergidas INDICE 2 Echinaster sepositus Estrella roja ( ) © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos 00. Prólogo 04 01. Introducción 06 [1.1] Conservación de la biodiversidad y planificación [1.2] Necesidad de formalización y cuantificación 02. Praderas[1.3] Ámbito de de fanerógamas aplicación marinas 10 Cymodocea nodosa Zostera [2.1] Praderas de Cymodocea nodosa y Cymodocetum sp. nodosae Praderas sumergidas [2.1.1] Hierbas del caballito de mar Praderas de Zostera Zosteretum: marinae Zosteretum noltii [2.1.2] Hierbas de anguila 03. HabitantesPraderas de las de praderas sp.: y 22 [3.1] Caballitos de mar y agujas marinas: especies clave [3.1.1] Distribución [3.1.2] Reproducción [3.1.3] Camuflaje [3.1.4] Tamaño y longevidad [3.1.5] Anatomía [3.1.6] Estado de conservación [3.1.7] Amenazas 04. Importancia[3.1.8] Protección ecológica 36 3 05. [4.1]Importancia Papel en los económica equilibirios físicos del sistema litoral 40 06. [5.1]Causas Importancia de regresión de los bioindicadores 42 07. Medidas de protección 44 [7.1] Medidas de protección directa [7.2] Medidas de protección indirecta [7.3] Otros textos reglamentarios de aplicación en el Mediterráneo español [7.4] Áreas marinas protegidas 08. Zonas[7.5] Gestión muestreadas Integrada de Zonas Costeras 52 09. Diseño del programa de restauración ecológica 62 [9.1] Objetivos de restauración 10. Conclusiones[9.2] Justificación de la propuesta 68 11. Bibliografía 70 Prólogo 4 Pinna nobilis Caulerpa prolifera Cymodocea nodosa Nacra ( ) en pradera mixta de y (mar Menor) © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos La idea de conservación de la biodiversidad Si se requiere abordar soluciones de gran responde a la problemática científica de la complejidad por sus implicaciones ecológi- pérdida de patrimonio genético, de las posi- cas, económicas y sociales, deben conside- bles disfunciones en la regulación ecológica, rarse para ello modelos cuantitativos de deci- y también responde a la insatisfacción de la sión y de comunicación audiovisual, capaces población por la desaparición de paisajes y de crear un vínculo que compense el distan- especies que constituyen importantes refe- ciamiento de los escenarios naturales. rencias emocionales. Praderas sumergidas En este sentido, a través de la línea de actua- Este concepto integra elementos científicos ción que la Fundación Santander Central His- (objetivos) sobre la diversidad ecológica con pano tiene establecida para la recuperación elementos emocionales (subjetivos) sobre la de espacios naturales, y en consonancia con percepción del paisaje. Este carácter dual, los objetivos de conservación de la naturaleza objetivo y subjetivo, del territorio es origen de en el medio marino de la FundaciónCymodocea Oceana, beneficios. nodosaha sido posibleZostera desarrollar una investigación conjunta sobre las praderas de Los aspectos emocionales constituyen im- y sp. en el litoral mediterrá- portantes mecanismos de regulación ecoló- neo, cuyo objetivo principal es el diseño de gica que el hombre reconoce y en los que un programa de restauración ecológica. participa. En realidad, mientras la emoción En el presente informe se recogen, de forma ante la percepción del paisaje o la visión de 5 determinados organismos equivale a consi- resumida, los aspectos más destacables de derar valores claramente reconocidos por la dicha investigación. población, los argumentos científicos a favor de la biodiversidad (carácter “natural” de los sistemas ecológicos o la relación entre diver- sidad y estabilidad) no son aceptados unáni- memente. Cymodocea nodosa Pradera de (Roquetas) © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos Introducción 6 Colpomenia sinuosa Dyctiopteris membranacea Ircinia variabilis Halimeda tuna Cymodocea nodosa Algas pardas ( y ), esponja ( ) y algas verdes ( ) antes de la pradera de (Columbretes) © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos Las fanerógamas marinas ocupan amplias Además, constituyen el hábitat de numerosas extensiones de los fondos someros. En los especies, tanto vegetales como animales. mares cálidos y templados forman las deno- Las comunidades asociadas están formadas minadas “praderas submarinas”, uno de los por especies que realizan sus puestas de for- ecosistemas litorales más importantes que ma habitual o desarrollan sus fases juveniles desempeñan un papel clave en la biología y en este tipo de hábitat. También es frecuente en la dinámica costeras. que depredadores de aguas más profundas se desplacen durante la noche a estos luga- Casi siempre se instalan sobre sustratos muy 1.1>res en Conservaciónbusca de alimento. de la inestables, por lo que el entramado de rizo- mas de estas plantas contribuye a consolidar biodiversidad y planificación y estabilizar los sedimentos, a la vez que los enriquecen con materia orgánica. Las hojas actúan como un filtro para las partículas en Los primeros trabajos realizados en España suspensión y favorecen su deposición, lo sobre planificación ambiental para la protec- que aumenta la claridad del agua. ción y conservación de la naturaleza aplica- ban una metodología sobre evaluación de Las praderas de aguas someras atenúan impacto y selección de usos alternativos, la erosión costera y son la principal fuente valorando el territorio desde una perspectiva de producción primaria del sistema litoral, integrada (ecológica, paisajística y producti- exportando oxígeno y materia orgánica al va), ponderando posteriormente tales com- conjunto. ponentes en función de las preferencias de la población para obtener una valoración glo- bal. Esta información se utilizaba aplicando diferentes algoritmos informáticos y técnicas de cartografía automática. Al considerar criterios objetivos (científicos) y subjetivos (emocionales) en la valoración, se adoptaba una actitud abierta, aunque la Praderas sumergidas valoración ecológica y paisajística era poco precisa, por recurrirse esencialmente al con- senso de expertos en lugar de a argumentos explícitamente formulados y evaluables ex- perimentalmente. La idea es profundizar en la compresión de la diversidad biológica y tratar de ampliar el pa- radigma científico para integrar los elemen- tos sociales en un modelo sobre la gestión 1.2>ambiental. Necesidad de formalización y cuantificación 7 Los aspectos de la estructura de los ecosis- temas relacionados con el equilibrio entre las poblaciones de una comunidad, pueden ex- presarse1 cuantitativamente utilizando diagra- mas de rango-abundancia y de especie-abun- dancia pero resultan difíciles de manejar a la hora de analizar su variación bajo diferentes situaciones. Por ello, han sido sustituidos por índices de diversidad que parametrizan las distribucio- nes referidas, posibilitando el análisis de los patrones de variación de la estructura de las comunidades bajo diferentes condiciones como el grado de alteración, etcétera. Con respecto a la diversidad cabe diferenciar distintas perspectivas de carácter cultural o científico, que se corresponden en gran me- dida con la diferenciación de elementos ob- jetivos y subjetivos. Pinna nobilis Nacra ( ) © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos Cymodocea nodosa Haces de © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos 1.3> Ámbito de aplicación Cymodocea nodosa Zos- teraSe han realizado investigaciones sobre comunidades de y sp. navegando con el catamarán Oceana 8 Ranger en las zonas costeras de la Comuni- dad Autónoma Valencia, la Comunidad Autó- noma de la Región de Murcia y la Comuni- dad Autónoma de Andalucía. Cymo- doceaLa zona nodosa de litoral Zosteraalmeriense con su influen- cia atlántica, cuenta con praderas de y sp. similaresCymo a las- doceaque se nodosapueden hallarZostera en otras zonas del lito- ral atlántico español. Las praderas de y sp. en Almería, al contrario de otras presentes en otros lugares como el mar Menor, se encuentran en zonas abiertas y batidas, por lo que tienen mayor similitud con las que pueden encontrarse en el Atlántico. Gran parte de los trabajos se centraron en Almería dadas sus característi- cas ecológicas, ya que se trata de una zona de transición mediterránea/atlántica, con una alta diversidad de endemismos. Las principales praderas de fanerógamas La experiencia en estas zonas puede ser ex- marinas en Almería se encuentran en el cabo trapolable a otros lugares del litoral español, de Gata o zonas aledañasCymodocea (golfo denodosa Vera incluyendo Canarias. Además, uno o ambos y Zosterabahía de Almería). En esta zona existen géneros de fanerógamas marinas se encuen- Posidoniapraderas oceanicamixtas de tran presentes en todos los países ribereños y sp., además de la presencia de de la Unión Europea. Praderas sumergidas 9 Botryllus leachi Caulerpa prolifera Cymodocea nodosa en pradera mixta de y (mar Menor) © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos Praderas de fanerógamas marinas 10 Asparagopsis taxiformis © OCEANA/ Juan Cuetos En las costas europeas existen cuatroZostera espe- P.Debido.oceanica a la gran importancia ecológica y marinacies de fanerógamasZ. noltii Cymodocea marinas, nodosa todas presenPosi- vulnerabilidad de las praderas que forma doniates en oceanicael litoral español. Se trata de , gran parte del estudio de las , , y fanerógamas marinas en el Mediterráneo y P.. oceanicaLa primera se extiende por Europa se ha centrado en P.esta oceanica especie. las costas atlánticas y el mar de Alborán, mientras que , es endémica del Las extensas praderas de cons- Mediterráneo. Las otras dos especies se en- tituyen el ecosistema más emblemático y cuentran tanto en las costas atlánticas como característico de las costas mediterráneas. en las mediterráneasHalophila y son decipiens las únicas que Pueden extenderse desde aguas superficia- llegan a las Islas Canarias, donde se da una
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