Abstract
This study presents an integrated analysis of the evolution of the marine environment and the human uses in Cape Creus, a Mediterranean coastal area where intense commercial fisheries and recreational uses have coexisted over the last fifty years. The investigation synthesizes the documented impacts of human activities on the marine environment of Cap de Creus and integrates them with new data. In particular, the evolution of vulnerable, exploited species is used to evaluate the fishing impacts. The effects of area protection through the establishment of a marine reserve in the late 1990s and the potential climate change impacts are also considered. The evolution of the human uses is marked by the increasing socioeconomic importance of recreational activities (which affect species and habitats) in detriment to artisanal and red coral fisheries (which principally affect at a species level). Overall, populations of sedentary, vulnerable exploited species, hard sessile benthic invertebrates, and ecologically fragile habitats, such as seagrass meadows, the coralligenous and infralittoral algal assemblages have been the most negatively impacted by anthropogenic activities. Albeit human uses currently constitute the largest negative impact on the marine environment of Cap de Creus, climate change is emerging as a key factor that could have considerable implications for the marine environment and tourism activities. The establishment of the marine reserve appears to have had little socioeconomic impact, but there is some evidence that it had some positive biological effects on sedentary, littoral fishes. Results demonstrate that the declaration of a marine reserve alone does not guarantee the sustainability of marine resources and habitats but should be accompanied with an integrated coastal management plan.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Badalamenti F, Ramos A, Voultsiadou E, Sanchez-Lizaso JL, D’Anna G, Pipitone C, Mas J, Ruiz JA, Whithmarsh D, Riggio S (2000) Cultural and socio-economic impacts of Mediterranean protected areas. Environmental Conservation 27:1–16
Ballesteros E, García M, Weitzmann B, López P, Pinedo S (2007) La vegetació marina al Cap de Creus: situació actual i previsions futures. In: Riera V, Lloret J, Feliu P (eds) Actes de les I i II Jornades del Medi Natural de Cap de Creus: l’amalgama dels estudis i la gestió del medi natural. DMAH, Barcelona, Spain, pp 104–106
Gómez-Martín B (2005) Weather, climate and tourism. A geographical perspective. Annals of Tourism Research 32(3):571–591
Gómez-Martín B (2007) Climate potential and tourist demand in Catalonia (Spain) during the summer season. Climate Research 32(1):75–87
Bianchi CN, Morri C (1994) Southern species in the Ligurian Sea (northern Mediterranean): new records and a review. Bollettino dei Musei e degli Istituti Biologici dell’Università di Genova 58–59(1992–1993):181–197
Bodilis P, Ganteau G, Francour P (2003) Presence of one year old dusky groupers along the french Mediterranean coast. Journal of Fish Biology 62:242–246
Cerrano C, Bavestrello G, Bianchi CN, Cattaneo-vietti R, Bava S, Morganti C, Morri C, Picco P, Sara G, Schiaparelli S, Siccardi A, Sponga F (2000) A catastrophic mass-mortality episode of gorgonians and other organisms in the Ligurian Sea (North-western Mediterranean), summer 1999. Ecological Letters 3:284–293
Coll J, Linde M, García-Rubies J, Riera F, Grau AM (2004) Spear fishing in the Balearic Islands (west central Mediterranean): species affected and catch evolution during the period 1975–2001. Fisheries Research 70:97–111
Colloca F, Crespi V, Cerasi S, Coppola SR (2004) Structure and evolution of the artisanal fishery in a Southern Italian coastal area. Fisheries Research 69:359–369
DAAR (2007) Departament d’Agricultura, Alimentació i Acció Rural. Xarxa de Vigilància de qualitat biològica dels herbassars de fanerògames marines de la costa catalana i difusió del seu estat durant els anys 2004–2006. Technical report. 68 pp
DARP (2003) Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia i Pesca. Projecte de seguiment de corall vermell 2001–2003. Technical report, 105 pp
DARP (2005) Departament d’Agricultura, Ramaderia i Pesca. Avaluació i cartografia de les poblacions d’eriçons amb interès comercial a Catalunya. Technical report, 97 pp
Daventport J, Davenport JL (2006) The impact of tourism and personal leisure transport on coastal environments: a review. Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science 67(1–2):280–292
Deutsche Bank Research (2008) Climate change and tourism. Where will the journey lead? Technical report Issue 11 April 2008, 28 pp. Report available online at: http://www.dbresearch.com
Estudis de Turisme de Catalunya (2007) Catalunya Turística en xifres. Report available online at: http://www.gencat.cat/diue/serveis/estudis_estadistiques/estadistica_1/index.html
European Commission (1998) Fact and figures on the Europeans on holiday 1997–98. Eurobarometer 48, Brussels
European Science Foundation (2007) Impacts of climate change on the European marine and coastal environment. Report of the Marine Board. Philippart C J M (Ed) pp 88 Available online at http://www.esf.org/marineboard
FAO (2007a) The state of the world fisheries and aquaculture – 2006. FAO, Rome, Italy. 325 pp
FAO (2007b) Fisheries: Coralliidae – Global Capture Production 1950–2004. U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization. Fisheries Global Information System Database
Farsari Y, Butler R, Prastacos P (2007) Sustainable tourism policy for Mediterranean destinations: issues and interrelationships. International Journal of Tourism Policy 1:58–77
Font T (2007) La pesca recreativa al Parc Natural de Cap de Creus: pesca des de les roques. Master thesis, University of Girona, 55 pp
Francour P, Ganteaume A, Poulain M (1999) Effects of boat anchoring in Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in the Port-Cros National Park (north-western Mediterranean Sea). Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems 9:391–400
Garcia-Rubies A (1990) Effects of fishing on community structure and on selected populations of Mediterranean coastal reef fish. Naturalista Siciliano XXIII(Suppl.):59–81
Garcia-Rubies A (1997) Estudi ecològic de les poblacions de peixos litorals sobre substrat rocós a la Mediterrània Occidental: efectes de la fondària, el substrat, l’estacionalitat i la protecció. Ph.D. Thesis, University of Barcelona
Garcia-Rubies T (2007) Els peixos vulnerables de Cap de Creus. In: Riera V, Lloret J, Feliu P (eds) Actes de les I i II Jornades del Medi Natural de Cap de Creus: l’amalgama dels estudis i la gestió del medi natural. DMAH, Barcelona, pp 112–116
Garcia-Rubies A, Zabala M (1990) Effects of total fishing prohibition on the rocky assemblages of Medes Islands marine reserve (NW Mediterranean). Scientia Marina 54(4):317–328
Garrabou J, Perez T, Sartoretto S, Harmelin J (2001) Mass mortality event in red coral Corallium rubrum populations in the Provence Region (France, NW Mediterranean). Marine Ecology Progress Series 217:263–272
Gili JM, Orejas C (2007) Les comunitats de corall blanc del canyó submarí de Cap de Creus: un ecosistema únic. Riera V, Lloret J, Feliu P, editors. Actes de les I i II Jornades del Medi Natural de Cap de Creus: l’amalgama dels estudis i la gestió del medi natural. DMAH, Barcelona, pp 95–99
Gómez S, Lloret J, Riera V, Demestre M (2006) The decline of the artisanal fisheries in Mediterranean coastal areas: the case of Cap de Creus (Cape Creus). Coastal Management 34(2):217–232
Guillou A, Crespi V (1999) Enquete-cadre concernant la répartition, la composition et l’activité des petits métiers dans le Golf de Lion. Technical raeport IFREMER DRV/RH/RST/99-14. 106 pp
Hernández R (2006) Descripción de la pesca artesanal con trasmallo en el Parque Natural Cap de Creus. Master Thesis, Fundación Interuniversitaria Fernando González Bernáldez, 76 pp
IDESCAT (2008) Survey on the economically active population–2007. Available online at: http://www.idescat.net
Kenchington R (1993) Tourism in coastal and marine environments–a recreational perspective. Ocean & Coastal Management 19:1–16
Linares C (2007) Les poblacions de gorgònies al Cap de Creus: aspectes aplicats a la seva conservació. In: Riera V, Lloret J, Feliu P (eds) Actes de les I i II Jornades del Medi Natural de Cap de Creus: l’amalgama dels estudis i la gestió del medi natural. DMAH, Barcelona, Spain, pp 45–46
Lloret J, Lleonart J, Solé I, Fromentin JM (2001) Fluctuations of landings and environmental conditions in the north-western Mediterranean Sea. Fisheries Oceanography 10(1):33–50
Lloret J, Galzin R, Gil de Sola L, Souplet A, Demestre M (2005) Habitat related differences in lipid reserves of some exploited fish species in the north-western Mediterranean continental shelf. Journal of Fish Biology 67:51–65
Lloret J, Zaragoza N, Caballero D, Riera V (2008a) Biological and socioeconomic implications of recreational boat fishing for the management of fishery resources in the marine reserve of Cap de Creus (NW Mediterranean). Fisheries Research 91:252–259
Lloret J, Zaragoza N, Caballero D, Riera V (2008b) Impacts of recreational boating on the marine environment of Cap de Creus (Mediterranean Sea). Ocean & Coastal Management. doi:10.106/j.ocecoaman.2008.07.001
Lloret J, Zaragoza N, Caballero D, Font T, Casadevall M, Riera V (2008c) Spearfishing pressure on fish communities in rocky coastal habitats in a Mediterranean Marine Protected Area. Fisheries Research. doi:10.1016/j.fishres.2008.07.002
MEDPAN (2006) Proceedings of the workshop: Mediterranean marine protected areas and sustainable management of tourism. 203 pp. Available online at the following website: http://www.medpan.org
Milazzo M, Chemello R, Badalamenti F, Camarda R, Riggio S (2002) The impact of human recreational activities in marine protected areas: what lessons should be learnt in the Mediterranean sea? P.S.Z.N. Marine Ecology 5:980–990
Miller ML (1993) The rise of coastal and marine tourism. Ocean & Coastal Management 20:181–199
Molinero JC, Ibanez F, Nival P, Buecher I, Souissi S (2005) North Atlantic climate and northwestern Mediterranean plankton variability. Limnololgy and Oceanography 50:1213–1220
Montanari A (1995) The Mediterranean region: Europe’s summer leisure space. In: Montanari A, Williams M (eds) European tourism: regions, spaces, and restructuring. Wiley, Chichester, pp 41–65
Morales-Nin B, Moranta J, García C, Tugores MP, Grau AM, Riera F, Cerdà M (2005) The recreational fishery off Majorca Island (western Mediterranean): some implications for coastal resource management. ICES Journal of Marine Science 62:727–739
Pascual J (2007) Oceanografia i meteorologia a la zona de Cap de Creus. In: Riera V, Lloret J, Feliu P (eds) Actes de les I i II Jornades del Medi Natural de Cap de Creus: l’amalgama dels estudis i la gestió del medi natural. DMAH, Barcelona, Spain, pp 51–55
Pauly D, Christensen V, Dalsgaard J, Froese RR, Torres F Jr (1998) Fishing down marine food webs. Science 279:860–863
Pauly D, Alder J, Bennett E, Christensen V, Tyedmers P, Watson R (2003) The future for fisheries. Science 302:1359–1361
Perez T, Garrabou J, Sartoretto S, Harmelin JG, Francour P, Vacelet J (2000) Mortalité massive d’invertébrés marins: un événement sans précédent en Méditerranée nord-occidentale. Comptes Rendues Académie des Sciences de Paris 323:853–865
Plujà A (1999) El corall vermell. Farella, revista de Llancà 8:23–27
Rahola F (1904) Algunas noticias acerca de las antiguas comunidades de pescadores en el Cabo de Creus. Real Academia de Buenas Letras de Barcelona, Barcelona Spain, 65 pp
Rivoire G (1991) Mortalité de corail et de gorgones en profondeur au large des côtes provençales. In: Boudouresque CF, Avon M, Gravz A (eds) Les espèces marines à proteger en Méditerranée. GIS Posidonies, Marseille, France, pp 53–59
Romero J, Pérez M, Manzanera M (2004) Fondeos y otros usos relacionados con la navegación en las calas del Parc Natural de Cap de Creus. Impactos sobre las praderas de Posidonia oceanica y recomendaciones de gestión. Technical report. Parc Natural de Cap de Creus, 42 pp
Rubio V (2007) Estudi socieconòmic i de freqüentació del submarinisme al Cap de Creus. Master thesis, University of Girona, 47 pp
Sabatés A, Martín P, Lloret J, Raya V (2006) Sea warming and fish distribution: the case of the small pelagic fish, Sardinella aurita, in the western Mediterranean Global Change Biology 12:2209–2219
Salmona P, Verardi D (2001) The marine protected area of Portofino, Italy: a difficult balance. Ocean & Coastal Management 44:39–60
Sánchez J (2007) Fanerògames marines del Cap de Creus: passat, present i futur. In: Riera V, Lloret J, Feliu P (eds) Actes de les I i II Jornades del Medi Natural de Cap de Creus: l’amalgama dels estudis i la gestió del medi natural. DMAH, Barcelona, Spain, pp 110–111
Santangelo G, Bramanti L, Iannelli M (2007) Population dynamics and conservation biology of the over-exploited Mediterranean red coral. Journal of Theoretical Biology 244:416–423
Sargatal J, Saavedra D (2007) Aproximació a l’evolució de l afauna i el paisatge de l’Alt Empordà des del neolític fins als nostres dies, i perspectives de futur. In: Proceedings of the congress El paisatge: element vertebrador de l’identitat empordanesa, vol I, pp 21–34
Smith HD (2000) The industrialisation of the world ocean. Ocean & Coastal Management 43:11–28
Templado J, Calvo M, Garvía A, Luque AA, Maldonado M, Moro L (2004) Guía de invertebrados y peces Marinos protegidos por la legislación nacional e internacional. Technical series Naturaleza y Parques Nacionales. Madrid: Ministerio de Medio Ambiente, Dirección General de Conservación de la Naturaleza, 214 pp
Thibaut T, Pinedo S, Torras X, Ballesteros E (2005) Long-term decline of the populations of Fucales (Cystoseira spp. and Sargassum spp.) in the Albères coast (France, North-western Mediterranean). Marine Pollution Bulletin 50:1472–1489
Tomlinson BJ (2007) The cultural and socioeconomic impacts of marine protected areas in Catalonia. Master Thesis, University of Algarve, 146 pp
Tsounis G, Rossi S, Gili JM, Arntz W (2007) Red Coral fishery at the Costa Brava (NW Mediterranean) Case study of a harvested precious coral. Ecosystems 10:975–986
Valdero E (2007) Maritime and coastal tourism in the Mediterranean: the case of Catalonia. In: Proceedings of the European Conference Towards a future maritime policy for the Union. Session: Life on the coast. Bremen, May 2007
Wall G (1998) Implications of global climate change for tourism and recreation in wetland areas. Climatic change 40:371–389
Zabala M, Mas G, Romero J, Ros JD, Linares C, Diaz D (2002) Estudi per a l’establiment de diverses capacitats de càrrega sobre el Patrimoni Natural Submergit del Parc Natural de Cap de Creus. Technical report. DMAH-University of Barcelona, 189 pp
Acknowledgments
This study was funded by the Natural Park of Cap de Creus. Thanks are also due to all persons and institutions that provided socioeconomic and landings data, as well as two anonymous referees and the editor who contributed with their criticisms and suggestions to improve the manuscript.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lloret, J., Riera, V. Evolution of a Mediterranean Coastal Zone: Human Impacts on the Marine Environment of Cape Creus. Environmental Management 42, 977–988 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9196-1
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-008-9196-1