News

The MEDSEA marine unit team, together with Akdeniz Koruma Derneği (Mediterranean Conservation Society)—an organisation leading several marine research and conservation initiatives across the Gökova Special Environmental Protection Area (SEPA) and the neighbouring Datça-Bozburun and Fethiye-Göcek SEPAs along the southwestern coast of Türkiye—has launched the first operational phase of the NEPTUNE project, focused on the restoration of Posidonia oceanica meadows.

Last summer, the teams carried out initial tests to assess environmental conditions, identify the most suitable transplantation technique, and select the sites where restoration activities will take place. Last autumn, a pilot trial was conducted to test the selected transplantation technique and refine the operational procedures. The first replanting activities are scheduled to begin next spring.

As Akdeniz Koruma Derneği, we are proud to collaborate in restoring Posidonia oceanica meadows in Gökova Bay and other possible neighbouring protected areas. For more than a decade, we have worked to protect these unique ecosystems within No-Take Zones and Special Environmental Protection Areas along Türkiye’s southwestern coast.

Posidonia meadows are essential to marine biodiversity, coastal protection and local fisheries - yet in areas affected by anchoring and illegal fishing, recovery needs active support. By combining our field observations with partner expertise, we are building the knowledge needed to advance restoration in the coming seasons.

“We are excited to launch these first efforts in Gökova Bay and give these meadows a chance to recover” notes Dr. M. Tunca Olguner, part of the field team at AKD.

Together, we are strengthening the foundations for long-term seagrass restoration so that these habitats can continue sustaining a healthy Mediterranean Sea.

The initiative is supported by Fondation de la Mer, a French foundation committed to biodiversity protection programs worldwide. Through its Seagrass program dedicated to seagrass conservation mainly in the Mediterranean, the foundation works with the support of CMA CGM. As partner of the initiative, CMA CGM Group —a global leader in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions—supports conservation and restoration of fragile ecosystems throughout the Mediterranean and worldwide. As part of its long-term commitment to preserve marine biodiversity, the Group has entrusted Fondation de la Mer since 2023 with the management of several seagrass restoration projects in the Mediterranean (France, Corsica, Italy, Türkiye, Greece, and Malta).  As part of its long-term commitment to preserve marine biodiversity, the Group has entrusted Fondation de la Mer with the management of several seagrass restoration projects in the Mediterranean (France, Corsica, Italy, and Malta).

Within this collaboration, MEDSEA is responsible for four interventions: Qawra (Malta), Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area (Italy), Gökova Bay (Turkiye) and Greece.

Posidonia oceanica, an endemic Mediterranean species, are considered a priority habitat due to the essential ecosystem services they provide: regulating seawater acidity, producing oxygen, capturing and storing CO₂, offering shelter and nursery areas for marine species, protecting coastlines from erosion.

Despite their ecological importance, these habitats are in decline across the Mediterranean, often degraded by pressures such as incorrect anchoring and, in some cases, illegal bottom trawling.

The project in Turkey also includes knowledge transfer activities, enabling local scientific teams to acquire the technical skills required for future autonomous restoration work.

“We are pleased to launch this first intervention in Gökova Bay and to share consolidated practices that can contribute to restoring Mediterranean marine habitats,” says Francesca Frau, head of the MEDSEA marine unit. “Across different areas of the Mediterranean we observe the same pressures and degradation patterns, but also the same potential for recovery through nature-based solutions. Posidonia oceanica is a priority and essential species for the ecological functioning of our seas, yet it continues to be challenged by human activities. We hope to see growing commitment from private companies and Mediterranean governments towards seagrass protection and restoration. This marks a solid starting point for a joint and long-term effort.”

Across the other Mediterranean sites involved in the programme, restoration work has already produced measurable outcomes. In Malta, 320 m² of seagrass meadow have been restored with the support of the University of Malta – Oceanography Malta Research Group (OMRG), Department of Geosciences. This represents the first official seagrass restoration initiative by the Maltese state (read here).

Additional restoration activities were carried-on last year in the Capo Carbonara Marine Protected Area in Villasimius (Italy): 500 m² of degraded habitat have been recovered through the transplantation of new cuttings, expanding the restoration area established in previous years.