The Mediterranean Sea is subject to multiple human pressures increasingly threatening its unique biodiversity. Spatially explicit information on the ecological status of marine ecosystems is therefore key to an effective maritime spatial planning and management, and to help the achievement of environmental targets. Here, we summarized scientific data on the ecological status of a selection of marine ecosystems based on a set of ecological indicators in more than 700 sites of the Mediterranean Sea. For Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds, rocky intertidal fringe, and coastal soft bottoms, more than 70% of investigated sites exhibited good to high ecological conditions. In contrast, about two-thirds of sites for subtidal rocky reefs were classified to be in moderate to bad conditions, stressing the need for prioritizing conservation initiatives on these productive and diverse environments. Very little quantitative information was available for the southern Mediterranean Sea, thus monitoring programs and assessments in this area are essential for a representative assessment of the health of marine coastal ecosystems in the whole basin. This overview represents a first step to implement a baseline that, through georeferenced data on ecological status, could help identifying information gaps, directing future research priorities, and supporting improvements to spatial models of expected cumulative impacts on marine ecosystems.

中文翻译：

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地中海沿岸底栖生态系统的现状：来自生态指标的证据

地中海受到多重人类压力的影响，其独特的生物多样性日益受到威胁。因此，关于海洋生态系统生态状况的空间明确信息是有效的海洋空间规划和管理以及帮助实现环境目标的关键。在这里，我们根据地中海 700 多个地点的一组生态指标总结了有关选定海洋生态系统生态状况的科学数据。对于 Posidonia Oceanica 海草床、岩石潮间带和沿海软底，超过 70% 的调查地点表现出良好到高度的生态条件。相比之下，大约三分之二的潮下岩礁遗址被归类为中度至恶劣条件，强调需要优先考虑这些生产性和多样化环境的保护举措。地中海南部的定量信息很少，因此该地区的监测计划和评估对于整个流域海洋沿海生态系统健康状况的代表性评估至关重要。本概述代表了实施基线的第一步，通过生态状况的地理参考数据，该基线可以帮助确定信息差距，指导未来的研究重点，并支持改进对海洋生态系统预期累积影响的空间模型。因此，该领域的监测方案和评估对于整个流域海洋沿海生态系统健康状况的代表性评估至关重要。本概述代表了实施基线的第一步，通过生态状况的地理参考数据，该基线可以帮助确定信息差距，指导未来的研究重点，并支持改进对海洋生态系统预期累积影响的空间模型。因此，该领域的监测方案和评估对于整个流域海洋沿海生态系统健康状况的代表性评估至关重要。本概述代表了实施基线的第一步，通过生态状况的地理参考数据，该基线可以帮助确定信息差距，指导未来的研究重点，并支持改进对海洋生态系统预期累积影响的空间模型。