2026-06-21T19:01:40Zhttps://riubu.ubu.es/oai/request

oai:riubu.ubu.es:10259/73462023-03-22T10:38:53Zcom_10259_4219com_10259_5086com_10259_2604col_10259_4220

Marambio, Macarena Canepa Oneto, Antonio Jesús Lòpez, Laura Gauci, Aldo Adam Gueroun, Sonia K. M. Zampardi, Serena Boero, Fernandino Kéfi- Daly Yahia, Ons Nejib Daly Yahia, Mohamed Fuentes, Verónica Piraino, Stefano Deidun, Alan 2023-01-31T08:30:48Z 2023-01-31T08:30:48Z 2021-06 http://hdl.handle.net/10259/7346 10.3390/d13060274 1424-2818 Science is addressing global societal challenges, and due to limitations in research financing, scientists are turning to the public at large to jointly tackle specific environmental issues. Citizens are therefore increasingly involved in monitoring programs, appointed as citizen scientists with potential to delivering key data at near to no cost to address environmental challenges, therein fostering scientific knowledge and advising policy- and decision-makers. One of the first and most successful examples of marine citizen science in the Mediterranean is represented by the integrative and collaborative implementation of several jellyfish-spotting campaigns in Italy, Spain, Malta, and Tunisia starting in 2009. Altogether, in terms of time coverage, geographic extent, and number of citizen records, these represent the most effective marine citizen science campaigns thus far implemented in the Mediterranean Sea. Here, we analyzed a collective database merging records over the above four countries, featuring more than 100,000 records containing almost 25,000 observations of jellyfish specimens collected over a period of 3 to 7 years (from 2009 to 2015) by citizen scientists participating in any of the national citizen science programs included in this analysis. Such a wide citizen science exercise demonstrates a valuable and cost-effective tool to understanding ecological drivers of jellyfish proliferation over the Western and Central Mediterranean basins, as well as a powerful contribution to developing tailored adaptation and management strategies; mitigating jellyfish impacts on human activities in coastal zones; and supporting implementation of marine spatial planning, Blue Growth, and conservation strategies. This work has received funding from the European Commission Horizon projects MED-JELLYRISK (GA I-A/1.3/098-ENPI CBCMED programme 2012–2015), VECTORS (Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors, GA n. 266445, FP7 programme, 2011–2015), COCONET “Towards COast to Coast NETworks of marine protected areas from the shore to the high and deep seas, coupled with sea-based wind energy potential” (GA no. 287844 FP7 programme 2012–2016), and CERES (Climate Change and European Aquatic Resources, GA no. 678193, Horizon 2020 programme). The authors are also indebted to the International Ocean Institute (IOI) for financially supporting the Spot the Jellyfish citizen science campaign in the Maltese Islands. A. Canepa was supported by the National Commission for Scientific and Technological Research–CONICYT (PAI/82140034, A Canepa). application/pdf eng MDPI Diversity. 2021, V. 13 n. 6, 274 https://doi.org/10.3390/d13060274 info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/ENPI-CBC-MED/I-A%2F1.3%2F098/EU/Enhancing management approach and mitigation measures against jellyfish proliferations impacts/MED-JELLYRISK/ info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/266445/EU/Vectors of Change in Oceans and Seas Marine Life, Impact on Economic Sectors/VECTORS/ info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/FP7/287844/EU/Towards COast to COast NETworks of marine protected areas ( from the shore to the high and deep sea), coupled with sea-based wind energy potential/COCONET/ info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/EC/H2020/678193/EU/Climate change and European aquatic RESources/CERES/ info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/CONICYT//PAI%2F82140034/CL/ Atribución 4.0 Internacional http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess Gelatinous zooplankton Scyphozoa Forecasting system Mitigation tool Coastal zone management Pelagia noctiluca Rhizostoma pulmo Informática Ciencias naturales Computer science Natural history Unfolding Jellyfish Bloom Dynamics along the Mediterranean Basin by Transnational Citizen Science Initiatives info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion Diversity 13 6