BIOMARE PRIMARY SITES: DETAILED QUESTIONNAIRE FORM
Proposer:
Name: Carlos Duarte & Damià Jaume
e-mail address: vieadjl@clust.uib.es
Proposed Primary Site: Cabrera Archipelago
PRISTINESS: Primary sites should be as free as possible from anthropogenic stressors, and natural stressors atypical of the region (e.g. reduced salinity, high turbidity).
List potential sources of pollution that are likely to impinge on the site:
Only those eventually derived from nautical tourism (e.g. accidental gas-oil spills or pouring out of bilges)
Industrial pollution: none
Agricultural pollution: none
Mining: none
Dumping: none
Dredging: none
What is the human population of the site in total and per unit area? What is the average population growth per year?
Total human population: 12
Density: 0,9 persons/km2
Average population growth per year: 0
How is sewage disposed of? If possible give an estimate of the quantity and quality of the output.
Since 1992, garbage on land is 100% sorted in origin and transported to Mallorca (thus, no risk of infiltrations exists). Sewage produced on land by the 12 persons’ standing population is treated in situ in a primary treatment plant, and ulteriorly poured out to the sea. Sewage produced on boats is out of control, although the problem is seasonal and could affect only Cabrera’s harbor, with a somewhat restricted circulation. Nautical tourism concentrates on Summer months (about 42 % of annual total on July-August), and then only 50 ships per day are accepted to moore in Cabrera’s harbor. We have used data extracted from the Danish treatment plants’ regulations to give an estimate of the quantity and quality of the output produced by these boats during the two months’ Summer period, when the impact on the marine ecosystem could be more accentuated. Namely:
Organic matter (dry weight) 22,0 kg/pers/yr 0.060 kg/pers/day
P 1,0 kg/pers/yr 0.003 kg/pers/day
N 4,4 kg/pers/yr 0.012 kg/pers/day
Assuming a rate of 4 persons per ship, that means that during July-August the output poured out to the system corresponds to that produced by [(4 persons/ship x 50 ships/day) x 60 days =] 12.000 persons. That means 720 kg of organic matter, 144 kg of Nitrogen, and 36 kg of Phosphorus. We must add to these data the output produced by the 12 persons on land (that add 43,2 kg of organic matter, 2,16 kg of P, and 8,64 kg of N) to get an estimate of the total output for July-August poured out to Cabrera’s harbor as:
Organic matter 763,20 kg
P 38,16 kg
N 152,64 kg
Describe the extent of commercial fishing in the area. Please specify the kinds of gear used (trawling, seine netting, lobster pots etc.)
There is a management plan for 84 licensed ships, with only 20 permitted to operate per day; only traditional artisanal selective fishing (gill nets, line) is allowed, trawling and sport fishing being strictly forbidden. On the practice, the number of ships is reduced to 15-20 per day, and these only operate on Summer; in Winter the activity is very reduced. The fleet is based on the vicine ports of Porto Petro (Santanyi), Colònia de Sant Jordi (Ses Salines), Porto Colom (Felanitx), and Palma, all on Mallorca. The annual crop is unknown since the ships work also outside the Park, but the volume could be around 100 Tm.
Give an account of tourist activities in the area (how many tourists per year; what do they do?).
On 1999, the Park received 47.152 visitors, distributed as follows: 1.902 (on 39 boats) correspond to guided scholar tours, 26.875 (on 5.375 boats) to people who got the archipelago on their own ship, and 18.375 (283 boats) correspond to touristic tours. The regime of visits is very stational, 50 % of total visitors concentrating on July-August. Landing is very restricted and only permitted around Cabrera’s harbor, where two didactic guided tours have been implemented; the Park offers also a submarine guided tour. Scholars follow a special programme, including several speeches, visit to a ethnological museum, slide shows, videos, plus several guided tours on land.
Provide evidence that there are no natural stressors such as high turbidity or reduced salinity that are atypical of the region.
There is no rivers or industry in the Archipelago nor in the vicine Mallorca. The water is extraordinarily clear: the Secchi Disk depth oscillates between 24 m (February) and 38 m (August), whereas the mean annual light extinction coefficient (k) is 0,063 m-1. This is much lower than recorded in any coastal or oceanic site placed above 30º N.
Give references to any chemical or physical data that support the claim that this is a pristine site.
Physical: transparency data provided above.
Chemical: Water very oligotrophic, with nutrient values comparable to those of western Mediterranean oceanic water, thus proving null continental influence into the Archipelago:
Phosphate: mean annual concentration: 0.05 m mol/l
Nitrate: mean annual concentration: 0.47 m mol/l
HABITATS: The site should comprise a mosaic of habitats in a well-defined area that are representative of the region.
List the range of habitats present at the site:-
Littoral
Rock: Yes
Sand: Yes
Mud: Yes (although localized to Cabrera’s harbor only)
Sublittoral
Rock: Yes
Sand: Yes
Mud: Yes
Seagrass beds: Yes
How representative is this site of its region (i.e. what regional habitats are missing)?
Very representative, including all western Mediterranean main habitat types except those linked to saltmarshes and deltas.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The site should already be well-studied (i.e. biodiversity studies should not rely entirely on new research).
For what groups of organisms are comprehensive inventories available? Please list major taxa in each category below, and list publications.
Macrobenthos:
Porifera (down to -55 m): 99 (Calcarea: 11; Demospongiae: 87) [Uriz M.J. 1993. Les esponjes litorals. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 531-547. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Cnidaria (benthic, down to -60 m): 83 (Hydrozoa: 43; Anthozoa: 39; Scyphozoa: 1) [Gili J.M., Garcia-Rubies A., Tur J.M. 1993. Els cnidaris bentònics. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 549-559. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Bryozoans (down to -80 m): 144 (Ctenostomata: 10; Cheilostomata: 108; Cyclostomata: 26) [Zabala M. 1993. Els Briozous. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 561-577. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Decapoda: 69 [Corbera J., Ballesteros E., Garcia L. 1993. Els crustacis decàpodes. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 579-587. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Cirripedia: 4 [Ballesteros E., Zabala M., Uriz M.J., Garcia-Rubies, A. & Turón X. 1993. El bentos: les comunitats. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 687-730. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca.]
Polychaeta: 2 [Ballesteros E., Zabala M., Uriz M.J., Garcia-Rubies A. & Turón X. 1993].
Mollusca: 169 (Polyplacophora: 5; Bivalvia: 43; Gastropoda: 118; Cephalopoda: 3) [Altaba C.R. 1993. Els mol.luscs marins: catàleg preliminar. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 589-596. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Echiura: 1 [Ballesteros E., Zabala M., Uriz M.J., Garcia-Rubies, A. & Turón X. 1993. El bentos: les comunitats.]
Sipuncula: 1 [Ballesteros E., Zabala M., Uriz M.J., Garcia-Rubies, A. & Turón X. 1993.]
Echinodermata: 51 (Crinoidea: 1; Holothurioidea: 7; Asteroidea: 17; Ophiuroidea: 9; Echinoidea: 17) [Munar J. 1993. Els Equinoderms. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 597-606. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Ascidiacea (down to -52 m): 41 [Turón X. 1993. Els Ascidis: Faunística i Distribució. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 607-621. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Fishes: 218 [include pelagic; Riera F., Pou S., Grau, A. 1993. La Ictiofauna. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 623-644. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Meiobenthos: ¾
Microbenthos:
Foraminiferida: 1 [Ballesteros E., Zabala M., Uriz M.J., Garcia-Rubies, A. & Turón X. 1993.]
Zooplankton: Data including also neighboring coastal waters to the Park
Foraminiferida: 4 [Vives F. 1993. Aspectes hidrogràfics i planctònics dels voltants de l’arxipèlag de Cabrera. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 487-502. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Cnidaria: 16 (Scyphozoa: 7; Siphonofora: 9) [Vives, 1993]
Chaetognatha: 3 [Vives, 1993]
Crustacea
Cladocera: 5 [Vives, 1993]
Ostracoda: 1 [Vives, 1993]
Copepoda: 85 [Vives, 1993]
Mysidacea: 4 [Vives, 1993]
Euphausiacea: 1 [Vives, 1993]
Mollusca (Gastropoda: pteropods): 5 [Vives, 1993]
Larvacea (appendicularians): 13 [Vives, 1993]
Thaliacea (salps): 2 [Vives, 1993]
Phytobenthos:
Cyanophyta: 13 [Ballesteros E.1993. Algues bentòniques i fanerògames marines. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 503-530. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca]
Diatoms: 163 [Ballesteros, 1993]
Rhodophyta: 177 [Ballesteros, 1993]
Phaeophyta: 46 [Ballesteros, 1993]
Chlorophyta: 35 [Ballesteros, 1993]
Magnoliophyta (sea-grasses): 3 [Ballesteros, 1993]
Phytoplankton: Data including also neighboring coastal waters to the Park
Dinoflagellates: 84 [Vives, 1993]
Diatoms: 62 [Vives, 1993]
Chrysophyta: 5 [Vives, 1993]
List any other publications relating specifically to the biodiversity or environment at the site.
Ballesteros E. & Zabala M. 1993. El bentos: el marc físic. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 663-685. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca.
Deudero S. & Vincx M. 2000. Sublittoral meiobenthic assemblages from disturbed and non-disturbed sediments in the Balearics. Scientia Marina 64 (3): 285-293.
Garcia-Rubies A. 1993. Distribució batimètrica dels peixos litorals de substrat rocós a l’illa de Cabrera. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 645-661. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca.
Maldonado M. & Uriz M.J. 1995. Biotic affinities in a transitional zone between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean: a biogeographical approach based on sponges. Journal of Biogeography 22: 89-110.
Reñones O., Moranta J., Coll J., Morales-Nin B. 1997. Rocky bottom fish communities of Cabrera Archipelago National Park (Mallorca, Western Mediterranean). Scientia Marina 61 (4): 495-506.
Riera T. & D. Blasco. 1967. Plancton superficial del mar de Baleares, en julio de 1966. Investigación Pesquera 31 (3): 463-484.
Uriz M.J., Zabala M., Ballesteros E., Garcia-Rubies A. & Turón X. 1993. El bentos: les coves. In: Alcover J.A., Ballesteros E. & Fornós J.J. (Eds.), Història Natural de l’Arxipèlag de Cabrera: 731-748. CSIC-Moll, Palma de Mallorca.
Zabala M. & Ballesteros M. 1989. Surface-dependent strategies and energy flux in benthic marine communities or, why corals do not exist in the Mediterranean?. Scientia Marina 53: 3-17.
List publications relating to historical/time-series data at the site.
The only temporal data series available corresponds to profiles (from surface to -50 m, lectures taken at 5 m intervals) of light, temperature, hydrodynamics, and Phosphate, Nitrate and Nitrite, determined bi-monthly from September 1988 to October 1989 in a station on the south coast of Cabrera (see above Ballesteros & Zabala, 1993).
Is biodiversity information available in electronic form? If so, what is the nature of the database (CD-ROM, web-site)?
No
PROTECTION STATUS: The pristine nature of the site should be protected by legislation if it is to be a "flagship site" for future monitoring.
What conservation legislation (national, European, international) is currently in place, how well is it implemented and how long will it last?
The Archipelago was declared National Park on April 1991 (top protection legal figure in Spain). It got also the maximum legal protection under the Natural Spaces Law (LEN; 1991) of the Balearic regional government. Thus, the legal protection of the site is strongly guaranteed for the long future.
As regard implementation, the Spanish Ministry for the Environment’ 2001 annual budget for the Park is scheduled in 1.500 million Pesetas (= 9,014.423 €; incredible but true!!), plus fixed running costs (personnel, etc.)
FACILITIES: The infrastructure for biodiversity research should be available. There should also be a national commitment in terms of financing and scientific activity (i.e funding should not be entirely dependent on the success of any future EU programme).
How accessible is the location?
The Park is only accessible by boat or helicopter. There is a 30 minutes cruise on inflatable boat from Colònia de Sant Jordi (the closest harbor to Cabrera on Mallorca south coast, at about 50 km from Palma de Mallorca). During Spring and Summer, several touristic charter boats operate daily with the Archipelago from Colònia de Sant Jordi and Porto Petro; the cruise lasts a bit more: about 1 h.
Is it limited seasonally (e.g. not accessible in winter)?
Touristic charter boats do not operate daily during Winter and Fall, but can be arranged for a precise date. In addition, access to charter boats is possible.
Is it accessible by car or by boat (indicate means of transport and distance from laboratory facilities in km)?
Only by boat. Aside the bench space available in Cabrera’s harbor, IMEDEA has a seashore lab on the Mallorcan south coast (Cap Salines), at 9 km from the Archipelago. IMEDEA main facilities lie about 60 km from Colònia de Sant Jordi.
What is the status of local facilities:-
Laboratory: Only limited bench space available (no equipment).
Boats: The park boats are not, in principle, accessible to researchers.
Are these facilities available for guest researchers? Only if associated to researchers at local institutions (e.g. IMEDEA).
What facilities are there for SCUBA diving? Compressor is available.
What housing is available? Housing for up to 8 researchers depending on demand.
List the sources of funding currently in place specifically for biodiversity research at this site (from where and how much).
This information is unknown, but the amount probably ranges in the order of 90,000 €/year.
List by name the persons currently involved in biodiversity research at this site, their roles and the percentage of their time spent on this research.
Carlos M. Duarte (IMEDEA, CSIC), 5 % (Member of the Park Board)
Damiá Jaume (IMEDEA, CSIC), 5 %
Núria Marbá (IMEDEA, CSIC), 10 %
Raquel Goñi (IEO), 5 %
Enrique Ballesteros (CEAB, CSIC), 5 %
ADDITIONAL COMMENTS.
Please use this section to add any additional supporting comments, for example what do you think is special about your site from the biodiversity point of view, why is it important to monitor biodiversity there, and what is the public awareness of this?
The waters of the Archipelago are characterised by their oligotrophy, accentuated by the low continental influence, and in consequence by an elevated transparency comparable, during the summer season, to that found in tropical seas. The great heterogeneity of the bottoms, where a large number of the more characteristic benthic communities of the central Mediterranean are found, and their good state of conservation, make the Archipelago an ideal place for the study of marine biodiversity in the oligotrophic areas of the western Mediterranean, and the factors that determine its community structure. In addition, the presence of undisturbed and continuous underwater cliffs between 0 and -65 m are of major interest to carry out studies on benthic zonation and on environmental factors forcing it. Lowermost bathymetric limits for the infralittoral zone (-40 to -45 m) and algal growth (-110 m) have been determined in the Archipelago, and rank amongst the deepest in the W. Mediterranean.
Public awareness: Very high. The Cabrera Archipelago is the only maritime Spanish National Park, and has been the major reivindication of the Balearic conservationist’ community since the early 70’. It is considered an emblematic site by the Balearic people.