The project
MED-BIOWATCH compares marine biodiversity in four Tyrrhenian locations with different levels of protection, using standard data collected by trained divers, freedivers, visitors and students.
Summary
MED-BIOWATCH turns the sea outings of diving centres into a network for observing marine biodiversity, repeatable over time and comparable across Tyrrhenian areas with very different levels of protection. Alongside the research, it brings the sea into schools and schools into the sea.
The project began at Area 11 Diving Center in La Maddalena, in partnership with Plastic Jumper, and is one of the three areas of the platform that Plastic Jumper is designing with the centre, alongside the operations management system and the website. It is proposed to three bodies: the Ente Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena (La Maddalena Archipelago National Park Authority), the Ente Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano (Tuscan Archipelago National Park Authority, for the Isola del Giglio, Giannutri and the nearby Argentario coast) and the Area Marina Protetta Isola di Ustica (Isola di Ustica Marine Protected Area).
The idea is simple: during the summer season dozens of people enter the water every day at the same spots. With short training, a closed list of easily recognised species and a standard recording sheet, those dives and swims become georeferenced data, collected on the same days in every location, validated by a researcher and returned to the management bodies and to the public.
In figures:
- 3 management bodies: two national parks and one marine protected area (MPA);
- 4 locations: La Maddalena, Giglio and Giannutri, Argentario, Ustica;
- 29 proposed stations, to be validated with the management bodies;
- 2027: first season, with simultaneous campaigns from June to October.
What we ask of the management bodies
- A technical discussion to adapt the protocol to the rules and priorities of each area.
- The authorisations needed to work at the reference stations located in the most strictly protected zones.
- A scientific contact and, where possible, access to existing monitoring data.
- Cooperation on programmes with local schools.
What we offer
- Data collected regularly throughout the season, at low cost to the body, with periodic reports and an open dataset.
- Marine education programmes for schools, from primary level upwards, in the classroom and in the water.
- A digital platform that brings together outing logistics, scientific data, registrations and communication.
The project is presented as a proposal: stations, protection levels and institutional data are to be validated with the management bodies before the final version.
Background and motivation
The Mediterranean is warming faster than the average of the oceans. The effects are visible even a few metres below the surface: mass mortality events of gorgonians and sponges, thermophilic and alien species moving northwards, and the near-total disappearance of the noble pen shell (Pinna nobilis) since 2016. Local pressures add to these, above all summer boat traffic, with anchoring, noise and litter.
Protected areas are the main tool for countering these effects, but judging how well they work requires data collected regularly, in the same way, in several places and over several years. This is what institutional monitoring struggles to provide, because of cost and staffing.
Why underwater citizen science
Diving centres are in the water every day, at the same sites, throughout the season. European experience shows that trained divers and freedivers produce reliable data when the protocol is simple, the species are few and easy to recognise, and every observation is verified. The value lies in repetition: hundreds of standard surveys at the same spot make trends visible.
Why research and education together
Anyone who collects a data point understands why an area is protected. Involving tourists, residents and students in data collection turns using the sea into taking part in caring for it: research produces knowledge for the management bodies, while education produces more respectful behaviour and a community that supports protection.
Why these areas
La Maddalena, Giglio with Giannutri, Argentario and Ustica are leading diving destinations in the Tyrrhenian Sea, with comparable rocky seabeds and meadows of Posidonia oceanica, but with very different levels of protection. By comparing the same indicators in places with different protection we can understand how much protection affects biodiversity, separating its effect from that of shared pressures such as warming. The pages on the study areas describe each location.
Protection levels used in the comparison
To compare different places, the various forms of protection are grouped into four levels.
| Level | Description | Where |
|---|---|---|
| L1 | Strict nature reserve, very limited access | Ustica zone A |
| L2 | Strong protection with regulated activities | Ustica zone B; La Maddalena Ma zones; the sea around Giannutri |
| L3 | Protection with authorised use | La Maddalena Mb zones; Ustica zone C |
| L4 | No protection zone at sea, only the Pelagos Sanctuary or Natura 2000 | Giglio; Argentario |
Individual stations are assigned to levels on the official zoning maps, together with the management bodies: the data are still to be confirmed. There is a dedicated page on the Pelagos Sanctuary.
Objectives and research questions
General objective
To build a time series of standard data on biodiversity and pressures in four Tyrrhenian locations with different levels of protection, collected by trained divers, freedivers, visitors and students and validated by researchers.
Specific objectives
- Effect of protection. Compare the abundance and size of indicator species across protection levels L1–L4.
- Climate change. Record temperatures at depth, thermophilic species, alien species and mass mortality events, on the same days in all locations.
- Pressures from use. Document marine litter, anchoring damage and crowding at the busiest stations.
- Protected species and Pelagos. Gather verified reports of living noble pen shells, turtles and cetaceans.
- Education. Train aware observers among visitors, residents and students.
Research questions
| No. | Question | Comparison |
|---|---|---|
| D1 | Are groupers, brown meagre and sea breams more abundant and larger where protection is stronger? | L1–L2 against L3–L4; Giannutri against Giglio |
| D2 | How do temperature, thermophilic species and alien species change over the season? | Between locations in the same weeks |
| D3 | Do the busiest stations show more litter and more damage to Posidonia? | High-use and low-use stations |
| D4 | How closely do data from visitors, students and divers agree with those of operators? | Parallel surveys at the same stations |
Design of the comparison
The design is of the "control-impact" type: the level of protection is the comparison factor, the stations are the replicates, and week and year are the temporal factors. Stations are chosen in pairs with similar habitat and depth. Simultaneous surveys reduce the effect of weather and seasonal differences between locations.
Method
Who collects the data
The research involves tourists and non-tourists alike: diving clients, residents, students and operators. Everyone takes part at the level that suits their skills.
| Level | Who | Training | What they record |
|---|---|---|---|
| Osservatore (Observer) | Visitors, residents and students, with or without a diving certificate, snorkelling with a guide | 20-minute briefing on board or classroom lesson, species slate | P1, surface P4, P6 |
| Rilevatore (Surveyor) | Certified divers and experienced freedivers | "MED-BIOWATCH Rilevatore" course of about 3 hours with a practical test | P2, P4, P5, P6 |
| Operatore (Operator) | Guides of the partner diving centres, biologists, researchers | Full training and calibration with the scientific lead | All protocols, reference stations, validation |
Survey protocols
All protocols are non-invasive: no sampling, no contact with organisms, no anchoring on Posidonia.
| Code | Protocol | How it works | Level |
|---|---|---|---|
| P1 | Surface route | Route of about 100 m along the coast, 0–5 m deep. Species from the closed list are recorded in abundance classes (1, 2–5, 6–20, more than 20) and rare ones are photographed. | Observer |
| P2 | Visual census | 25 × 5 m transects at fixed depths (roughly 10 and 20 m), three replicates. Count of target species and estimate of grouper and sea bream size in three classes. | Surveyor |
| P3 | Posidonia | Shoot density in 40 × 40 cm quadrats, cover, position of the meadow's lower limit, signs of anchoring. | Operator |
| P4 | Marine litter | Count by category along the transect (plastic, fishing gear, glass, metal, other); at the surface, floating litter along the route. | All |
| P5 | Temperature | Temperature profile downloaded from the dive computer; fixed sensors at the reference stations at standard depths. | Surveyor, Operator |
| P6 | Individual reports | Alien species, living noble pen shells, turtles, cetaceans, mass mortality: position, time and a mandatory photo. Cetacean reports feed the networks of the Pelagos Sanctuary. | All |
The species and categories recorded are presented on the Species page.
Station selection and mapping
Survey areas are selected using explicit criteria and mapped with a unique code. The 29 stations shown on the map are a first proposal, built on the sites usually visited and on the known protection levels; they must be checked at sea and agreed with each management body. The list can be downloaded as GeoJSON.
- Representing protection: stations at all levels L1–L4, including reference stations in the most protected zones, accessible only to authorised operators.
- Comparable habitats: infralittoral rocky seabed and the edge of the Posidonia meadow, between 0 and 25 m.
- Repeatability: fixed coordinates and, where they exist, buoy moorings; transect depth and direction recorded at the first survey.
- Safety and access: reachable on ordinary outings, with alternatives in bad weather; some surface stations suitable for schools.
- Use: both heavily used and little-used stations.
The first survey of each station is a "set-up sheet" completed by an operator: GPS coordinates, depth, type of seabed, reference photos, position of the transects. From then on the station is active in the management system and on the website.
Simultaneous campaigns and training calendars
Activities are organised on two different tracks.
Surveys are simultaneous. All locations survey in the same "MED-BIOWATCH Weeks", using the same protocol. This makes the data from the four locations comparable for the same period, temperature and season. Outside the shared weeks, locations with daily outings, such as La Maddalena, continue with regular surveys. The dates of the Weeks are in the calendar.
Training follows calendars for each location. Each partner diving centre publishes on the website its own calendar of courses, briefings and school lessons, according to local seasonality and logistics. Online registration is in preparation.
| Location | Partner | Operator training | Surveyor courses and schools |
|---|---|---|---|
| La Maddalena | Area 11 Diving Center | April–May | Courses every two weeks, June–September; schools March–May and September–October |
| Giglio and Giannutri | International Diving | May | To be agreed with the partner and the Park |
| Argentario | To be identified | To be defined | To be defined |
| Ustica | Ustica Diving | May–June | To be agreed with the partner and the MPA (marine protected area) |
Data quality and safety
- Closed list: only the species and categories on the Species page are recorded, chosen because they cannot be mistaken for others.
- Photographic evidence: mandatory for rare, alien and protected species; validated by a researcher before publication.
- Observer reliability: each sheet is linked to the surveyor's level; in the analyses the data can be weighted or filtered.
- Parallel surveys: on some outings the operator and the participants survey the same station, to measure the difference (question D4).
- Conditions: visibility, sea state, current and temperature are always recorded; surveys with visibility below 5 m are flagged.
- Safety: the research activity does not change the diving centres' procedures; surveying never takes priority over safety and over the limits of the dive.
Governance
A scientific committee is proposed, with one representative for each management body or university partner, plus the project coordinators. The committee approves the protocol, the species list and the stations, validates the data and signs off the reports. Area 11 coordinates the activities at sea and the simultaneous campaigns; each partner diving centre manages the calendar of its own location; Plastic Jumper looks after the platform, the data and publication. Who does what is easier to see on the Partners page.
Timeline of the first year
| Period | Activities | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| November 2026 – January 2027 | Presentation to the three bodies; contacts; scientific committee; authorisation requests; agreements with partner diving centres; choice of the legal entity for donations and adoptions | Cooperation agreements |
| February – April 2027 | Final protocol and species list; teaching materials; website online with registrations, newsletter and calendars; operator training; first classroom programmes with schools | Protocol v1.0, public website |
| May 2027 | Set-up of the stations and pilot in La Maddalena; sea outings with schools | Active stations |
| June – October 2027 | Five simultaneous MED-BIOWATCH Weeks, BioBlitz on 8 June; courses according to the location calendars; continuous surveys in La Maddalena | Season dataset |
| September – October 2027 | School programmes resume | Classes involved |
| November – December 2027 | Validation, analysis, report for each body, open data, public meetings in the locations | 2027 report |
Costs and funding
Amounts will be worked out after discussion with the management bodies. The expected items are: scientific coordination and validation; training; field and teaching materials; dedicated outings and travel; insurance; development and upkeep of the platform; analysis, reports and communication; printing.
The planned sources of funding are: participation fees for research outings and courses; symbolic adoptions and donations from the website; corporate sponsors; contributions from the management bodies; regional, national and European calls on biodiversity, environmental education and schools. Opportunities must be checked against open calls. See also Support the project.
Sharing the results
| Product | Content | For | Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign note | Outcome of each MED-BIOWATCH Week in the four locations, reports and alerts | Management bodies | After each week |
| Annual report | Indicators by location and protection level, comparison with the previous year | Management bodies, partners | Yearly |
| Open dataset | Validated observations in Darwin Core and CSV, stations in GeoJSON | Scientific community | Yearly |
| Pelagos reports | Cetacean sightings with photo and position | Monitoring networks | Continuous |
| Website and newsletter | Map, indicators, news, stories of the adopted animals | Public, supporters | Continuous, monthly |
| Schools | Class data, certificates, final presentation | Students, teachers | Yearly |
| Public meeting | Results presented in each location | Local communities | Yearly |
Every report of a priority alien species or of mass mortality is passed to the management body within a few days, without waiting for the report. More details in Results and open data.
Sources
- Law no. 10 of 4 January 1994, establishing the La Maddalena Archipelago National Park (mase.gov.it).
- Presidential Decree of 17 May 1996, La Maddalena Park Authority and safeguard measures, Ma and Mb zones (mase.gov.it).
- Performance plan of the Ente Parco Nazionale dell'Arcipelago di La Maddalena (performance.gov.it).
- UNESCO, Tentative list: Archipelago of La Maddalena and Islands of Bocche di Bonifacio (whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/2028).
- L'Unione Sarda, 2026: boat traffic in La Maddalena; Park rules on boat hire and charter (unionesarda.it).
- Presidential Decree of 22 July 1996, establishing the Tuscan Archipelago National Park Authority (mase.gov.it; isprambiente.gov.it).
- Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano, "Vivere il Parco – Giglio e Giannutri 2026" (islepark.it).
- Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano, Strategy and Action Plan CETS 2026–2030 and Plan 2021–2025 (islepark.it).
- Performance plans of the Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscano (performance.gov.it).
- ISPRA, Pelagos Sanctuary; Law no. 391 of 11 October 2001 (isprambiente.gov.it).
- Pelagos Agreement, official website (pelagos-sanctuary.org).
- Natura 2000, site sheet IT51A0025; Regione Toscana, marine SCIs of Tuscany (eunis.eea.europa.eu; regione.toscana.it).
- Comune di Monte Argentario and partners, Argentario underwater park (2026) (intoscana.it).
- Interministerial Decree of 12 November 1986, establishing the "Isola di Ustica" marine protected area (mase.gov.it).
- Riggio S. et al., Naturalista siciliano 2004: protection regime and zoning of Ustica (sssn.it).
- Centro Studi e Documentazione Isola di Ustica, "Lettera" nos. 44-45, 51 and 58 (centrostudiustica.it).
- Area Marina Protetta Isola di Ustica (ampustica.it); Ustica Diving (usticadiving.it); International Diving (internationaldiving.it).
- ISTAT 2026 administrative boundaries, openpolis/geojson-italy (CC-BY); Natural Earth.
Updated on 25 October 2026.