From biodiversity to green ports: good practices to protect the Mediterranean

From the protection of cetaceans to rescue of Caretta carettafrom the reforestation of Posidonia oceanicacrucial for the fight against climate change, at theenergy efficiency of ports and the reduction of CO emissions₂ of boats: today more than ever Ocean Generation raise your voice. In the aftermath of the historic UN agreement for the first international treaty to protect the high seas, which will protect a substantial area today outside exclusive international jurisdictions, the proud cry of those who are already at work to protect the expanse rises blue. And some of the virtuous stories of those who are committed to safeguarding marine and coastal habitats have been reviewed in theOcean&Climate Villagethe first interactive and educational exhibition dedicated to the relationship between the ocean and the climate, which stopped in Naples at Castel dell’Ovo from 6 to 12 March.

Made by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of theUnesco (IOC-UNESCO) with the patronage and collaboration of the municipality of Naplesthe exhibition is part of the activities of United Nations Decade of Marine Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030).

“Today more than ever,” he stressed Frances Santoro, Senior Program Officer of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of Unesco – it is necessary to create an Ocean Generation that truly knows the ocean and is emotionally connected to it, understanding the influence it has on us and vice versa, with reference to issues such as climate change and food security, human health and the global economy. Only in this way can it be improved protectionthe storage and thesustainable use of its resources“.

The stories, yes. Virtuous examples that come from individuals and associations, and that see the support of E.ON Italypartner of the Naples stage of the Village in the context of Energy4Blue, a project with which the company is committed to safeguarding the seas by actively involving partners, citizens, employees and institutions. “We are driven by ambition – as the CEO explains Frank Meyer – to “create an active and participatory movement to spread good practices and awareness throughout the country and give life to truly sustainable development, at an economic, social and environmental level for the benefit of future generations”.

More Posidonia oceanica

In 2021, within the Decade of Marine Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021 – 2030), was born – in collaboration with IOC-UNESCO – the “Save The Wave” project, with the aim of conserving and restoring the state of health of the marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean. So in April 2022 in the Gulf of Mondello, a Palermoone was planted Posidonia oceanica prairie of 100 m2 with the aim of regenerating the existing ecosystem. “And with benefits both in environmental and tourist terms, thanks to the protective action that the plant exerts on the beach”, explains the marine biologist Antonio Scannavinowho coordinates the project and has always worked in the field of environmental education.

A second stage of “Save The Wave” instead embraced the Tremiti Islandswhere, again together with IOC-UNESCO and with the support of The Oceancy and ofUniversity of Barirhizomes of Posidonia oceanica have been replanted over an area of ​​about 100 square meters. Here as elsewhere under accusation are the wild anchorages of boaters. “The replanting was carried out in two sites of about 50 m2 each, where Posidonia was present in the past and where it then disappeared precisely because of human activities”, he explains Francesco Mastrototaroprofessor of Zoology at the University of Bari. “Il replant it was carried out with eradicated bundles, replanted with completely environmentally friendly techniques”, he adds.

“After all, the Posidonia meadows – adds Santoro – are an ecosystem that hosts 25% of the biodiversity of the Mediterranean, they produce oxygen and capture carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, trapping it in the roots and in the underlying substrate for hundreds or even thousands of years. Basically, they are blue carbon ecosystemsfundamental allies to counter the effects of climate change”.

Rescue sperm whales and turtles

Then there is the story of Monica Blasiwhich with its non-profit association Filicudi Wildlife Conservationhas been coordinating and directing all conservation projects since 2004 cetaceans and the sea ​​turtles in the archipelago of the Aeolian Islands. Monica has a degree in physics and two doctorates (in biophysics and medicinal chemistry), but her life is in the field.

In 2022, his citizen science project involved 150 students and volunteers, while twenty caretta carettas in difficulty were recovered: they end up in the emergency room for sea turtles on the island of Filicudia reality that has enjoyed the support of E.ON Italia since 2021 – “The most serious cases – he says – are linked to accidental entrapments, strangled limbs, amputations due to blockages due to ingestion or collisions with plastic waste and abandoned fishing gear at sea. From 2009 to today we have saved over 690”.

But Monica does more: she invented a format, the “Discovery Turtle Beach”with which he involves the students of local schools: “Thus they are the ones who help us in safeguarding the beaches suitable for deposition of eggs by sea turtles in the Aeolian Islands“. Where, incidentally, the Caretta caretta has been nesting permanently since 2019. And the president of Filicudi Wildlife Conservation is also at the forefront of a cetacean monitoring activity which has led, in ten years, to the photo-identification of 54 sperm whales in the Aeolian sea. “15% are faithful to this area – she says – and in various circumstances we have seen groups of females with young”.

The role of marine protected areas

In Naples, during theOcean&Climate Villageother virtuous paths have also been described. Dominic Sgambatifor all Mimì, is for example one of the faces of the small marine protected area Punta Campanella, which goes from Sorrento to Positano: a small treasure trove of biodiversity on which, especially in the summer, falls the anthropic pressure deriving from the hundreds of thousands of tourists who reach the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast. Among the most fragile points, the bay of Ieranto. “Up until twenty years ago it was seen as a large port where you can moor, fish and enjoy the sea in an unsustainable way, while today it has become a large blue oasis where you can experiment with new protection and use programs with the aim of bringing man closer to nature , with exploration routes – for example kayak rides, guided boat tours, snorkelling excursions – and knowledge entirely environmentally friendly”.

“What needs to be understood is that the marine protected areas they are an opportunity to protect our sea, but also a driving force for rigorously sustainable economic and tourist growth for the territories that host them, including the fishermen who work there and who discover new opportunities, not least the fishing tourism“, he explained in his speech Antonino Micciodirector of another marine protected area in Campania, the Kingdom of Neptune, which embraces the islands of Ischia and Procida.

The future of ports: ever greener?

Increasingly greener ports and energy-efficient ships: this is the challenge that clearly emerged from the talks at the Ocean&Climate Village in Naples. A goal shared by scientists and stakeholders, on which E.ON itself is at the forefront. All together to promote the blue economy. “Also because the energy requalification of ports will be fundamental and the full sustainability of the maritime sector can only be achieved through the evolution of the ship-port combination. – he explained Adolfo Palombo, who teaches Industrial Technical Physics at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Naples Federico II. – In particular, the ports will have to undergo an important transformation: no longer just mere ports of call for goods and passengers, but also modern energy hubs for the use and exchange of differentiated energy flows and vectors obtained through renewable sources”.

“The energy transition – before reaching an “all electric” or totally renewable power supply – will still last many years. – he added Anna Maria Buonomanowho teaches Environmental Technical Physics at the same university – It will therefore be necessary to seek sustainable solutions to power ship engines with green fuels and, furthermore, promote maximum energy efficiency on board ships”. Among the key points is the need to maximize heat recovery from the enginesotherwise dissipated into the environment. As? Producing electric energy, steam, fresh water through desalination systems and cooling energy. In this perspective, Federico II carries on the HEMOS project (hemosproject.eu), funded by Horizon Europe.

“The goal – explains Buonomano – is to develop a new strategy to maximize heat recovery on board the large ones cruise shipsselect the technologies and sizes of heat recovery systems, and optimize some design and operating parameters of the system”. We have already been working for some time on the energy revamping of the ship Allure of the Seas, Oasis class of the Royal Caribbean, among the world’s largest cruise ships in service.