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Gulf of Leon. (Map: NormanEinstein/CC BY-SA 3.0)
Proposal to include four marine areas in Red Natura
(SPAIN, 7/22/2014)
The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) has proposed the European Commission (EC) to include four major marine sites in the list of Sites having Community Importance (SCI) of Natura Red 2000.
Under the new ministerial order published in the Official State Gazette (BOE), information is also provided about the geographical boundaries, area and values for which they are proposed. And a defensive protection system is included until these areas are designated by the EC such as (SCI).
The proposed marine sites, which cover an area of 1.7 million marine hectares, are the following:
- Western submarine canyon system in the Gulf of León;
- Menorca Channel, in the Levantino-Balearic Sea basin district;
- Mud volcanoes of the Gulf of Cadiz, in the South Atlantic divide;
- Galicia bank, in the North Atlantic basin district.
The conservation organization Oceana congratulated MAGRAMA authorities for the protection of the first four Indemares areas.
This NGO is one of the partners of the project and responsible for documenting one of the 10 zones comprising: Seco de los Olivos.
"The Mediterranean Regulation should be referred to in this ministerial order, so that there is no doubt as to the intention of the Government to strictly protect these critical habitats for fishery resources in the Mediterranean," pointed out Xavier Pastor, Executive Director of Oceana in Europe.
"Precisely, in this same regulation special mention to Natura Red 2000 sites is made as priority areas for implementing protection of grassland, coral and maërl areas," he added.
The proposal to include spaces in Natura Red 2000 comes after a lengthy and comprehensive study performed under the framework of the Life+Indemares 'Inventory and designation of Natura Red 2000 in marine areas of the Spanish State,' coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation.
By Analia Murias
[email protected]
www.seafood.media
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