At the headquarters of the Marine Parks of the Calabria region (EPMR) in the Bivona Fraction of the Municipality of Vibo Valentia, the event of presentation of the preliminary results of the project *”Tecna – Acoustic Fosici di Capo Vaticano” *, strategic initiative for the protection of the marine habitats of the Natura 2000 site 2000 “seabed of Capo Vaticano” (Code IT9340093) was held yesterday.
The project, launched in December 2024 and underway until October 2025, is promoted by the EPMR and financed by the *National Biodiversity Future Center *with resources of the National Plan of recovery and resilience (PNRR). The goal is ambitious and of great scientific importance: to collect objective, updated and georeferential data on the extension and health of the ** posiDonia oceanica*and of the*coraligeno*, two marine habitats of high ecological value, protected by the habitat 92/43/EEC directive.
The full name of the project-“Application of advanced acoustic technology for the monitoring of the ZSC” backdrop of Capo Vaticano “according to the MSFD protocols and definition of objectives and site-specific conservation measures”-reflects the complexity of the current work. Thanks to the use of the latest generation acoustic technologies and reliefs with ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle), experts are precisely monitoring the submerged habitats, obtaining an updated picture of the ecological state of the area.
The * preliminary data * return a comforting photography: the * prairie of Posidonia * is in good state of health, while the * Coralligeni seabed * show a level of anthropic impact contained. The underwater analyzes have in fact identified the presence of sporadic marine waste, mostly linked to abandoned coastal fishing tools.
However, the work does not stop there. The project now includes a *threat mapping phase *that come from the coast and inland, in order to update the *ZSC *management plan with new *conservation measures *. The goal is to develop a governance of the site that manages to combine the sustainable use of the territory with the protection of marine ecosystems.
In addition to monitoring, the Tecna project also represents a *methodological experimentation, intended to become a model replicable in other ZSC and in the ** regional marine parks *Calabrian. First of all, the regional marine park “Fosseed of Capocozzo – S. Irene, Vibo Marina -Pizzo, Capo Vaticano Ricadi – Tropea”, where the good practices developed at Capo Vaticano can be applied to extend the protection of the submerged Calabrian heritage.
In a historical moment in which scientific knowledge represents the most effective tool for the protection of biodiversity, * Tecna – Acoustic * is proposed as a pilot project for a new approach to the management of the seas: integrated, technologically advanced and deeply rooted in the enhancement of natural capital.