The scientific expedition that ended this week in Recife do Algarve identified around 20 new species for the marine park, where over the last six days researchers have monitored one of the largest coastal reefs in Portugal.
On board the ship, dozens of researchers anchored in Armação de Pêra Bay explored the entire area of the park, on the surface and diving, to observe and collect samples from the seabed, in an initiative jointly promoted by the Oceano Azul Foundation, Lisbon Oceanarium and the Center for Marine Sciences at the University of Algarve (CCMAR).
During the campaign, about 20 speciesespecially crustaceans and also gorgonians, corals that form underwater gardens and create shelter and food for other species, which although not new to science are new to this specific area, he says Jorge Gonçalvesthe , scientific coordinator of the expedition.
“We identified a relatively large species of gorgonia that was not registered in the park and has now been observed for the first time”, he explained, adding that in the reef area there are also calcareous algae that form calcium carbonate structures, “a kind of submerged dunesa very unique ecosystem that is home to hundreds of other species”, functioning as carbon sinks.
Unlike gorgonians, which are animals, these coralline calcareous algae (red) which also exist in the park area, they are plants: carry out photosynthesis, remove carbon dioxide from water and, indirectly, from the atmosphere, together forming a priority habitat for conservation.
Having just returned from a dive, the researcher João Silva, from CCMAR, shows journalists these small algae that, in mainland Portugal, were only identified in Pedra do Valado, and that have a ‘super power’: as they produce calcium carbonate between their cells, they function as true reservoirs of blue carbon at the bottom of the sea.
“This particular species, ‘Lithothamnion corallioides’, is the main producer of ‘maerl’ [rodólitos]which was identified here in Armação de Pêra. These are very slow-growing algae, around one millimeter per year, which means that some of these deposits will certainly be more than 100 years old, which is remarkable”, he says.
According to João Silva, each of these algae is, in itself, a micro-habitat: “With the naked eye we see just one alga, but under the microscope we identify dozens, sometimes hundreds of small organisms such as molluscs, crustaceans and many others that seek shelter in the three-dimensional structure during the first stages of life”, he illustrates.
For six days, teams of researchers mapped emblematic habitats such as gorgonians, seagrasses, coral gardens and ‘maerl’ benchesthrough scientific diving and the use of various technological image collection platforms, including ‘drones’, remotely operated vehicles (ROV) and underwater vehicles with bait to attract fish.
According to Diana Vieira, project manager at , during the campaign more than 30 dives were carried out, totaling 24 hours of immersion, and many hours of video were collected that will now be analyzed to identify the species observed in the park.
“We are collecting complementary information to what already exists to serve as a basis for preparing the special program and park management regulations”, he adds.
These are the instruments that will define the rules for the Marine Park — what will be allowed, what will be conditioned or prohibited — and are being developed by the Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests, in collaboration with CCMAR and other entities”, said Diana Vieira.
Also just returned to Santa Maria Manuela, Diogo Pauloscientific coordinator of the dives, explained that the dives carried out on Monday, the penultimate day of the campaign, aimed to make the reef monitoring in the total protection zone, after, in the previous days, the teams had dedicated themselves to exploring other protection zones in that marine area.
In these scientific dives everything is recorded: measuring tapes, sampling squares, photographic and video cameras are used to document what is observed and small underwater clipboards where all the data is recorded. On this particular dive, the team was in for a surprise.
In addition to fish of some size being found, which is a “good sign”, large corals were also observed and a small, darker cave was discovered, where typical deep-sea species are sheltered.
“I especially highlight the yellow gorgonians (Paramacea guil), very large and beautiful. It was a surprise, more on the aesthetic side than scientific, but still very interesting”, he concluded.
N1,059 marine species have already been identified in this area — 754 invertebrates, 152 fish, 61 seabirds and 82 macroalgae —, including species of commercial value, biomedical potential and tourist interest, some rare and threatened.
