Diversity
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Statutory Documents - IMO Publications and Documents - Resolutions - Marine Environment Protection Committee - Resolution MEPC.204(62) – Designation of the Straight of Bonifacio as a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area – (Adopted on 15 July 2011) - Annex 2 - Ecological, Socio-Economic, and Scientific Attributes of the Strait of Bonifacio PSSA1 - 1 Ecological criteria - Diversity

Diversity

  1.24 The number of species recorded to date in the Strait of Bonifacio is 1,745. Among the 977 species of fauna are 18 mammals, 165 birds, seven reptiles, two amphibians, 187 fish, 11 protochordates, 13 echinoderms, 262 insects, 11 arachnids, six bryozoans, 103 crustaceans, 143 molluscs, seven annelids, 23 cnidarians and 19 spongarians.

  1.25 Considering the faunistic taxons as a whole, it should be noted that:

- Twenty-three animal species are of Community significance. Care of this area is particularly important for two amphibians (Discoglossus sardus and Hyla arborea sarda), the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus), chiroptera, marine molluscs, the fish Aphanius fasciatus, the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta, the gecko Phyllodactylus europaeus, the lizards Podarcis tiliguerta and Lacerta bedriagae and the snake Coluber viridiflavus. Among the animal species of Community significance whose capture in natural surroundings and cultivation can be managed, only the red coral Corallium rubrum, can be and is being cultivated;
- Seventy-seven taxons are listed in the "Birds" directive (all annexes combined). Among these birds are 16 species nesting in the area (including 10 from annex I), 24 regular migrants, 30 occasional migrants and five accidental migrants;
- The taxons strictly protected under the Berne Convention (annex II) amount to 139, with 70 other species being considered as protected species whose exploitation must be regulated (annex III);
- Three migratory species are in danger of extinction, namely the Audouin's gull Larus audouinii and the loggerhead and leatherback turtles Caretta caretta and Demochelys coriacea, which require strict protection under annex I of the Bonn Convention. Sixty-seven other species (reptiles, mammals and birds) are considered to be in a poor state of conservation under that convention. All these species are also listed under the Berne Convention;
- Thirty-seven rare species are listed in the three annexes of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (Washington Convention), for example the peregrine falcon Falco peregrinus, the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta, the bottlenose dolphin Tursiops truncates, and Hermann's Tortoise (Testudo hermanii);
- Thirty-three species are identified as endangered or threatened under the Barcelona Protocol concerning specially protected areas of Mediterranean importance (SPAMI) (annex II) and 14 as requiring control over their exploitation. These species are also listed in the annexes to the Berne Convention. Among the exploited species, we note two large fish: the swordfish Xiphias gladius and the red tuna Thunnus thynnus;
- There are 148 wildlife taxons protected at national level, of which the great majority comprises birds (121 species). Nineteen of these nest in the Strait of Bonifacio area. Thirteen mammals present are protected at national level: seven cetaceans, four bats, the hedgehog Ericeanus europeus italicus and the weasel Mustella nivalis corsicana. Also protected are four land reptiles, two amphibians, two marine turtles and one fish, namely the Mediterranean shad (Alosa fallax nilotica). Among the marine species the needle-spined sea urchin Centrostephanus longispinus, the Mediterranean slipper lobster Scyllarides latus, the pen shell Pinna nobilis and the limpet Patella ferruginea are protected;
- In the context of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List, the leatherback turtle Demochelys coriacea, observed only a few times in the past 50 years, is classified as critically endangered and four species, the fin whale Balaenoptera physalus, the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta, the dusky grouper Epinephelus marginatus and the common seabream Pagrus pagrus, as endangered. Nine species are considered vulnerable, i.e. as facing a high risk of extinction in the wild. These include the gecko Phyllodactus europaeus, the long-fingered bat Myotis capaccini and certain threatened cartilaginous fish: the great white shark Carcharodon carcharias, the basking shark Cetorhinus maximus, the manta ray Mobula mobular, the liver-oil shark Galeorhinus galeus, and the angel shark Squatina squatina. Lastly, the status of 161 species is considered to be of concern (10 mammals, 143 birds, one amphibian, two reptiles and four fish);
- Seventy species feature in the red lists of the French Natural History Museum in Paris. The endangered species number 13 including the loggerhead turtle Caretta caretta and the Mediterranean slipper lobster Scyllarides latus. The following are considered to be vulnerable in France: the pen shell Pinna nobilis, the limpet Patella ferruginea, the brown meagre Sciaena umbra and the nursehound Scyliorhinus stellaris.

  1.26 Among the floral taxons:

- Eight are included in annex I of the Berne Convention, including Silene velutina and Posidonia oceanica;
- Five algae are also included in SPAMI Annex III;
- Fifteen plant species are protected at national level, including 12 terrestrial species. The marine species include Posidonia oceanica and another marine phanerogam, namely the seagrass Cymodocea nodosa, which is also well represented in the Strait of Bonifacio;
- Four species are considered to be vulnerable by the IUCN: Helicodiceros muscivorus, Drimia fugax, Nananthea perpusilla and Silene velutina. They all enjoy protected status.

  1.27 The diversity and complementarity found among the various littoral ecological compartments can be considered a major asset for this area. There are around fifty elementary habitats, with ecosystems ranging from coastal scrub to salt grass and from lagoons to the depths of the circalittoral zone.

  1.28 The coastal, littoral and salty habitats, such as the mobile and fixed dunes of the Mediterranean shores where Crucianella maritima is found, and halophilous scrub, conceal all the floral taxons of major heritage importance.

  1.29 At sea, the major "reefs" type of habitat brings together rocky habitats of the mediolitteral zone as well as all the fauna and flora of the intertidal zone. Biocoenoses of photophilous algae and coral are also integrated into this major type of habitat. All the types of gorgonia, cystoseira and the large bryozoans are also important elements of the area's rich heritage and require special protection against the impact of underwater activities and of global changes relating to rise in sea temperature.

Parent topic: 1 Ecological criteria
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