The Mediterranean is the sea with the highest number of invasive species in the world. According to a report by the World Wildlife Forum (WWF), which analyses the effects of climate change in this area, there are more than a thousand alien species from other ecosystems in the Mare Nostrum. This means an alteration in the richness and biodiversity of this ecosystem.
Temperatures have been rising exponentially, at a rate 20% faster than the global average, and already exceed the pre-industrial average by one and a half degrees. In addition to the effects of climate change, there is also intense maritime trade in an area of great geostrategic importance. This is pointed out in the report on Risks associated with climate change and environmental changes in the Mediterranean region, produced by the MedECC network.
But these are not the only institutions that are studying the effects of climate change on the sea. Over the last few years, Loro Parque Fundación has been developing CanBio, a research programme jointly funded by Loro Parque and the Government of the Canary Islands. Two million euros will be invested in the project over four years.
Through this project, different research groups from the University of La Laguna (ULL) and the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC) will study climate change in the sea and ocean acidification and its effects on marine biodiversity in the Canary Islands and Macaronesia, especially on cetaceans, sea turtles, sharks and rays.
More information: https://www.diariodeibiza.es/dominical/2022/04/03/mediterraneo-mar-tropical-64616701.html
