During the Anthropocene, species are becoming extinct at unprecedented rates, a trend that will be difficult to reverse, even if we ignore the possibility of a considerable extinction debt. Among the different factors that affect the natural environment, fragmentation of ecosystems by urbanization processes can cause a reduction in species population sizes, thus enhancing their risk of extinction. Nevertheless, some species can maintain stable populations in these urbanized ecosystems. This is the case of the intertidal mollusc Patella ferruginea (Gmelin, 1791), a broadcast spawner, and a sequential protandrous hermaphrodite limpet, whose populations have been historically decimated due to human harvesting. In this study, we analyse the benefits of a new marine conservation tool called ¨Artificial Marine Micro-Reserves¨ (AMMR) in P. ferruginea, one of the most endangered marine invertebrates of the Mediterranean Sea. The results showed that accessibility is the main factor concerning the conservation status of this species, with no-entry areas where populations achieve balanced sex-ratios and high reproductive outputs. The present study was conducted in Ceuta (North Africa, Gibraltar Area), and among its varying results, it shows that in the same body of water inside the port, the proportion of females of P. ferruginea in the area without accessibility (high protection) was 4.68 and 43.54 times higher than in the medium and low accessibility (non-protected areas), respectively. Therefore, the effective protection of these artificial areas has a positive effect on population size structures, as the female’s percentage in the population is crucial for fostering the creation of genetic bridges for the recolonization of natural habitats. Furthermore, a potential ‘umbrella effect’ can be derived from the implementation of the proposed AMMR in other protected species, bioindicators, or commercially exploited species detected in artificial structures. In this sense, the creation of artificial marine microreserve networks (AMMRNs) in coastal defense structures is in line with the interdisciplinary approach of Ecosystem-Based Management (EMB), given that this methodology balances ecological, social and governmental principles for achieving humane sustainable development.

在人类世期间，物种正以前所未有的速度灭绝，这一趋势将难以逆转，即使我们忽略了大量灭绝债务的可能性。在影响自然环境的不同因素中，城市化进程造成的生态系统破碎化会导致物种种群规模减少，从而增加它们的灭绝风险。尽管如此，一些物种可以在这些城市化生态系统中维持稳定的种群。潮间带软体动物Patella ferruginea就是这种情况(Gmelin, 1791)、广播产卵器和连续性突出的雌雄同体帽贝，其种群在历史上因人类捕捞而大量减少。在这项研究中，我们分析了一种名为“人工海洋微型保护区”(AMMR) 的新型海洋保护工具对P. ferruginea（地中海最濒危的海洋无脊椎动物之一）的益处。结果表明，可达性是影响该物种保护状况的主要因素，在禁入区，种群实现了平衡的性别比例和高繁殖产出。本研究在休达（北非，直布罗陀地区）进行，在其不同的结果中，表明在港口内的同一水域中，女性的比例P. ferruginea无可达区（高保护）分别比中等和低可达区（非保护区）高 4.68 倍和 43.54 倍。因此，这些人工区域的有效保护对种群规模结构具有积极影响，因为女性在种群中的百分比对于促进为自然栖息地的重新定植建立遗传桥梁至关重要。此外，在其他受保护物种、生物指标或在人工结构中检测到的商业开发物种中实施拟议的 AMMR 可以产生潜在的“伞效应”。从这个意义上说，在海防结构中创建人工海洋微保护区网络 (AMMRN) 符合基于生态系统的管理 (EMB) 的跨学科方法，