Several teams of national and international scientists will study the waters around Madeira over four weeks, in a scientific expedition that aims to map little-studied ecosystems and assess the current state of the region’s protected marine areas.
The initiative runs from Friday to October 28, aboard the former cod-fishing ship Santa Maria Manuela and other research platforms, in the northern and southern zones of Madeira, the Desertas Islands and Porto Santo.
The scientific expedition is promoted by the Government of Madeira, the Institute of Forestry and Nature Conservation, ARDITI – Regional Agency for the Development of Research, Technology and Innovation, the Blue Ocean Foundation, the Oceanário de Lisboa and the National Geographic Society’s Pristine Seas program.
“This first scientific expedition will map little-studied ecosystems off Madeira, Desertas and Porto Santo, assess the state of the region’s current protected marine areas, and generate the scientific knowledge that will shape the future conservation of Madeira’s sea,” highlighted in information released by the Blue Ocean Foundation.
The research also aims to identify and evaluate new areas of ecological and conservation importance to support the strengthening and expansion of the network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
The scientists also intend to establish a long-term monitoring program to track changes in the conservation status of species and habitats representative of each existing Marine Protected Area.
The expedition will consist of dives, sample collections and “discoveries that happen every day,” using “cutting-edge technology,” such as remotely operated vehicles.
The results of the scientific investigation will also have a political impact, in that they “will directly influence the expansion of Marine Protected Areas in Madeira.”
The Madeira archipelago “is a benchmark for the marine biodiversity of the North Atlantic,” being a “corridor for migratory species, a refuge for the monk seal and the pilot whale, home to cold-water corals and to species of commercial, historical and cultural value.”
However, the information about the expedition notes that “large stretches of its waters remain scientifically unexplored.”
The expedition ends on October 28 with a closing event in Funchal, where preliminary results will be presented.
In a second phase, in May next year, the researchers will explore deep-sea areas that are still little known in the region.
