INBIOMAR III

The alarming loss of species, together with the current human-nature disconnection, threatens the future of marine biodiversity. In less than 40 years, more than 35% of the biodiversity present in the seas and oceans has been lost. 

To halt and reverse this negative trend it is necessary to promote environmental conservation strategies based on long-term biodiversity monitoring and fostering human-nature connectedness. Our previous projects INBIOMAR and INBIOMAR II laid the basis for the first marine biodiversity observatory in remote Spanish areas of the Alboran Sea, a geographical area characterized by its uniqueness and lack of knowledge. 

The ongoing INBIOMAR III project aims to give continuity to such important work by providing knowledge on the temporal evolution of threatened or endangered fish and macroinvertebrate communities in the study areas: the Ciudad Autonoma de Melilla, the ZEC Acantilados de Aguadú, and the ZEC Islas Chafarinas. As in the previous projects, INBIOMAR III will use the citizen science method Reef Life Survey to collect biodiversity information through underwater visual censuses, directly involving society in the study of threatened marine biodiversity. 

Beyond feeding the temporary database, INBIOMAR III results will provide essential information to adapt conservation strategies to actual needs and will contribute to strengthening human-nature connections.