Madeira expedition measures ocean health and protection
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Juan Mayorga, a Colombian environmental engineer working with Pristine Seas, is analyzing underwater video footage near Portugal’s Madeira archipelago to assess the impact of marine protection.
Mayorga and nearly 200 other scientists are participating in a month-long expedition to study the health of marine ecosystems and their resilience to climate change.
Researchers are comparing marine life in areas with complete fishing bans, such as those south of the Desertas Islands, to areas where some fishing is permitted, to understand how different levels of protection affect species. Rui Seabra, a researcher from the University of Porto, is collecting data on crustaceans and sponges to predict how marine biodiversity will shift with rising temperatures. Scientists are also using environmental DNA sampling to identify fish species present in the waters.
The expedition coincides with the U.N. biodiversity summit, COP17, in Armenia, but expedition leader Emanuel Goncalves believes immediate action is crucial. Madeira has a history of marine conservation, establishing a reserve around the Selvagens Islands in 1971. This reserve expanded in 2022 to cover 2,600 square kilometers, becoming the largest protected marine area in the North Atlantic. Conservation efforts around the Desertas Islands have helped a population of Mediterranean monk seals grow from eight to 31 animals.
