Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Program of Madeira

Marine Biodiversity Monitoring Program of Madeira

Monitoring of marine biodiversity of the artificial reefs CORDECA, CORCEIRA, and surrounding natural reefs.

About

The Monitoring Program for the artificial reefs “CORDECA”, “CORCEIRA”, and surrounding natural reefs is a marine biodiversity monitoring program that has been ongoing continuously in the islands of Porto Santo and Madeira since 2016, coordinated by the Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation — IFCN IP–RAM.

History

On July 13, 2016, the former Portuguese Navy ship, the corvette General Pereira d’Eça (CORDECA), was sunk off the island of Porto Santo to create an artificial reef aimed at promoting the ecological, scientific, and socioeconomic development of the region.

Due to its importance, a monitoring program was presented to the Regional Secretariat for the Environment and Natural Resources, designed to characterize the marine biological communities of Porto Santo Island and evaluate the impact of CORDECA’s sinking on these communities.

This program, the first of its kind in Madeira, was also pioneering in Portugal, as it started even before the creation of the artificial reef and brought together a  multidisciplinary team capable of a broad approach to various biological groups, from plankton to fish.

On September 4, 2018, another vessel — the NRP Afonso Cerqueira (CORCEIRA) — was sunk in the newly created Cabo Girão Marine Natural Park. The CIIMAR-Madeira team was involved in the surveys that led to the selection of the sinking site, and the Monitoring Program naturally expanded to include the island of Madeira.

Published Reports

CORDECA Report 2016-2017

CORDECA + CORCEIRA Report 2016–2019

CORDECA + CORCEIRA Report 2021

CORDECA + CORCEIRA Report 2022

CORDECA + CORCEIRA Report 2023

Published by CIIMAR-Madeira

Published by AMACO

Study Areas

The program’s focus areas

The monitoring program began with 6 locations on Porto Santo Island and was later
expanded to an additional 6 locations on Madeira. Currently, 11 locations are monitored on Porto Santo and 8 on Madeira, totaling 19 sampling stations.

Participating Entities

  • IFCN IP-RAM — Institute of Forests and Nature Conservation (2016–)
  • CIIMAR-Madeira (2016–2019)
  • EBMF — Funchal Marine Biology Station/Funchal Municipality (2016–2019)
  • AMACO — Madeiran Association for Marine Conservation (2020–)
  • OOM/ARDITI — Madeira Oceanic Observatory/Regional Agency for the
    Development of Research, Technology, and Innovation (2016–)