Research projects
Ziphius Project
Ziphius Project aims at gathering the information needed to define the conservation status of the Cuvier’s beaked whale (Ziphius cavirostris) in the Mediterranean Sea.
This ongoing long term project started in 2004 thanks to the collaboration with the University of Genova (2004-2009) and the whale watching company BluWest (2004-2007).
The long term goals of this project are to collect needed ecological data to address priorities identified by international bodies such as ACCOBAMS and ICES regarding the protection of Cuvier’s beaked whale from adverse effects of human activities, including anthropogenic noise.
To date, the photo-id database contains more than 600 mark-recapture records and it is the largest photo identification database of this species in the Mediterranean Sea.
The main objectives are:
- Provide estimates of population abundance in the North-Western Mediterranean Sea and highlight population trends;
- Describe population structure, identifying age classes, sex ratio etc.;
- Define the residency patterns in the study area, site fidelity and home range of individuals belonging to the studied population;
- Describe and map the habitat;
- Identify distribution hot-spots in relation to anthropogenic stressors.
CONCEPTU MARIS
Funded under the LIFE program of the European Union, the project Conservation of Cetaceans and Pelagic Sea Turtles in Med Managing Actions for their Recovery in Sustainability (CONCEPTU MARIS) is dedicated to the protection and conservation of cetaceans and sea turtles in the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, particularly in the central and southern area.
CIMA Research Foundation is involved in all project phases and is also responsible for monitoring and data collection activities in the Pelagos Sanctuary area and for the realization of a training course dedicated to ships’ crews on marine biodiversity issues, in particular on the risk of collision with large vessels.
It plans to:
- map activities and identify of some sites of particular importance for marine species, such as ecological corridors, hotspots for ecological processes, areas of particular risk as affected by the accumulation of marine litter or because subject to maritime traffic
- develop a shared international approach for monitoring and assessing marine traffic and marine litter
- monitor activities of species of interest, marine litter and traffic involving also ferries that travel routes in the considered area and integrating both traditional and innovative methods such as remote sensing data collection and environmental DNA collection, which can provide information on the health status of marine species
- evaluate the protection measures, in order to establish their consistency with the ecological needs of the species considered
- identify the best mechanisms for their conservation
PNRR - NBFC
CIMA Research Foundation has expertise in ecology and conservation of large marine predators and, in particular, marine mammals and is working with:
- Mapping of pelagic ecosystems, with specific reference to the distribution of large predators
- Evaluation of the impact / sustainability of human activities on the presence / distribution of large marine predators
- Evaluation of trends in the presence / distribution of marine predators with reference to the evaluation periods required by international conventions
- Prediction of distribution scenarios of large marine predator species as a function of environmental parameters (meteorological and oceanographic) and climate projections
- Enhancement of mapping and observation of the marine environment using marine predators as oceanographic probes
- Assessment of the conservation status of marine megafauna populations and of the conservation measures adopted/to be adopted
- Evaluation of the state of health of marine predator populations as indicators of the state of health of the various ecosystems present in the offshore waters’ environment
Whale watching
Whale watching tours are excursions at sea during which it is possible to observe whales in their natural environment.
The PELAGOS Sanctuary is one of the most popular destinations for whale watching in the Mediterranean Sea.
The observation of these animals for tourism purpose can be a source of data that is of great value to the scientific community, especially if during the tour a dedicated data collection protocolis applied. For this purpose, CIMA has been collaborating since 2004 with whale watching companies, which operate in different areas.
This collaboration ensures to establish data collection protocols that enable companies to contribute their data to the development of research activities.
In addition, this collaboration is also an important training opportunity for students and future researchers.
In about ten years, data from whale watching has allowed us to obtain information on the presence and distribution of cetacean species, complementary to those collected by scientific campaigns. In addition, photo-identification data have also helped to gain information on population dynamics.
In 2009-2010 the project was expanded to northern seas, thanks to the partnership with whale-watching company Whalesafari.
In 2013, the project expands further: Seawetra will be used for publication in near-real time of tracks and sightings made from the boat Corsara (Golfo Paradiso – Whale watch Imperia). Dataset: The description of the yearly collected data during the project is published inside the annual reports of the International Whaling Commission.
CIMA Research Foundation is the Italian partner of ACCOBAMS in charge of delivering the HQWW® certificate in Italy.