The appeal comes via the “Vila Nova de Milfontes Manifesto – For the Future of Portugal’s Marine Forests”.
Scientists, professionals, business leaders and members of the public involved in the conservation, research, education and enhancement of marine ecosystems have come together in a Manifesto calling for the protection of Portugal’s seagrass beds, warning of the increasing degradation of these ecosystems, which are essential for biodiversity, climate regulation, fisheries and coastal protection.
The appeal comes via the “Vila Nova de Milfontes Manifesto – For the Future of Portugal’s Marine Forests”, developed following the scientific meeting “What future for Portugal’s marine forests?”, part of the Marine Forests Festival, held between 14 and 17 May, in Vila Nova de Milfontes, co-organised by Isabel Sousa Pinto and her team at CIIMAR and by Ester Serrão of CCMAR, as part of a CIMAR-LA initiative.
The document has already been signed by around 80 signatories, including members of the scientific community, professionals from the maritime sector, business leaders and members of the public involved in the conservation and sustainable management of Portugal’s marine ecosystems. It will be presented to the authorities responsible for the environment, the sea, science, the economy and spatial planning, coinciding with the presentation of the forthcoming National Nature Restoration Plan, for which the signatories are putting forward several recommendations considered to be priorities.
Among the researchers who led the drafting of the manifesto and the scientific discussion that gave rise to it are Isabel Sousa Pinto, Vitor Vasconcelos, Joana Xavier, Jean-Baptiste Ledoux and Gabriela Faria Oliveira, from CIIMAR.
The Manifesto
The document proposes that Portugal’s marine forests – which include macroalgal forests, seagrass beds, coral and sponge gardens, and other biogenic habitats – be recognised as “national strategic natural infrastructure”, given their role in climate regulation, coastal protection, biological productivity and the maintenance of marine biodiversity.
“Marine forests are a strategic natural structure because many marine species depend on them, including species important for fisheries and key species that serve as food for the species that are fished and that we eat,” explains Isabel Sousa Pinto, a researcher with the Coastal Biodiversity group at CIIMAR.
Many of these seagrass beds act as veritable nurseries for marine life, supporting food chains, coastal communities and marine-related economic activities.
The signatories warn that these ecosystems are under increasing pressure due to the degradation of terrestrial ecosystems, excessive sedimentation, pollution, climate change, invasive species, physical destruction of the seabed and changes in food webs associated with overfishing.
The degradation of these ecosystems can compromise marine biodiversity, reduce fishing productivity, increase coastal vulnerability and weaken the ocean’s natural capacity to respond to climate change.
The manifesto also argues that the national priority must be the urgent conservation of ecosystems that are still functioning, emphasising that ecological restoration, whilst important, does not replace the need to prevent further losses – many of them irreversible – of habitats and biodiversity.
Isabel Sousa Pinto reinforces this national priority: “Without monitoring, we do not know the state of ecosystems or what is happening to them, including the effects of measures such as protection or restoration that are undertaken to improve ecosystems and the resources that depend on them. Without protection, they will continue to degrade and the functions I mentioned will no longer be provided by these ecosystems.”
Among the key proposals put forward are the creation of a National Strategy for Marine Forest Ecosystems by 2040, the strengthening of effective protection for marine protected areas, the implementation of national programmes for long-term ecological mapping and monitoring, the development of blue bioeconomy models compatible with marine conservation, and the strengthening of ocean literacy and public participation.
Portugal’s role
Portugal bears an increased responsibility for the conservation of the Atlantic, given the size of its exclusive economic zone and the ecological importance of its marine ecosystems. With this manifesto, the signatories argue that Portugal is uniquely placed to lead marine conservation in the Atlantic. However, they highlight the absence of an integrated and operational national strategy for Portuguese marine biodiversity.
“The time to act is now,” concludes the manifesto, emphasising that protecting Portugal’s seagrass beds represents a strategic decision for the country’s ecological, climatic, economic and social future.
You can read the Manifesto here and see all the signatures here. To sign the Manifesto contact algaecoralseas@gmail.com.
