Distribution, threats and protection of selected karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems in the Mediterranean region
Year: 2023
Type: article
Abstract: Karst groundwater-dependent ecosystems (KGDEs) in the Mediterranean region are important in terms of ecosystem services and biodiversity but are increasingly under anthropogenic pressures and climate-change constraints. For this study, the ecohydrological characteristics, threats, and protection status of 112 selected KGDEs around the Mediterranean Sea, including caves, springs, rivers and wetlands, were evaluated, based on local expert knowledge and scientific literature. Results demonstrate that KGDEs contribute considerably to regional biodiversity. The diversity of karst landscapes, combined with the groundwater emergence at springs, leads to exceptional habitat diversity, particularly in arid climates, where KGDEs serve as a refuge for species that could not thrive in the surrounding environment. The most common threats identified among the selected sites are direct human disturbances, such as mass tourism or overfishing, water-quality deterioration and water shortage from aquifer overdraft and/or climate change. Although most of the selected sites are under protection, conservation measures are frequently insufficient. Such shortcomings are often caused by poor data availability, little knowledge on conservation needs of invertebrate species, and conflicts of interest with the local population. For this purpose, it is necessary to raise environmental awareness and promote interdisciplinary research, in order to monitor water quality and quantity in addition to the status of the biocenoses.
Source: Hydrogeology Journal
Authors: Lena Siegel, Nico Goldscheider, Marco Petitta, Julian Xanke, Bartolomé Andreo, Michel Bakalowicz, Juan Antonio Barberá, Rachida Bouhlila, Avihu Burg, Joanna Doummar, Ines Ezzine, Jaime Fernández-Ortega, Mohamed Ghanmi, Hervé Jourde, Ana Isabel Marín, Amal Mhimdi, Tanja Pipan, Nataša Ravbar, Aleksandra Maran Stevanović, Zoran Stevanović
Institutions: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology, Sapienza University of Rome, DVGW - Technologiezentrum Wasser, Universidad de Málaga, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Laboratoire HydroSciences Montpellier, Institut de Recherche pour le Développement, Tunis University, National Engineering School of Tunis, Tunis El Manar University, Geological Survey of Israel, American University of Beirut, University of Nova Gorica, Karst Research Institute, University of Belgrade
Language: English
Subfield: Earth-Surface Processes
Field: Earth and Planetary Sciences
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Estimated APC paid: $3,390
Funders: Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades, European Commission, Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung, Ministero dell’Istruzione, dell’Università e della Ricerca, Javna Agencija za Raziskovalno Dejavnost RS, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Ministrstvo za Izobraževanje, Znanost in Šport, Conseil National de la Recherche Scientifique, LifeWatch – Niclas Öberg Foundation, Junta de Andalucía, Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, Horizon 2020 Framework Programme, European Regional Development Fund
Awards: G1960489342, PRIMA-Verbundprojekt: Verfügbarkeit und Qualität der Wasserressourcen in den Karstaquiferen des Mittelmeerraumes, Teilvorhaben: Projektkoordination, Mediterrane Karstaquifer-Karte, Markierungsversuche, Frühwarnsysteme, G2628364946, G3662172367, G434337789, G4937468798, Karst Research, Ecohydrological study of spatio-temporal dynamics in karst critical zones under different climate conditions, G6315092050
OpenAlex ID: W4386962829