Funded by Biodiversa+ and led by IIM-CSIC, EMPHATIC is a project dedicated to monitoring cetaceans, particularly in terms of their distribution and health status.
Changes in the distribution of cetaceans and indications of deteriorating individual health can provide an early warning of declining population status, but often go undetected by traditional acoustic and visual monitoring techniques, which are influenced by environmental conditions.
EMPHATIC overcomes this limitation by combining non-invasive monitoring techniques, applicable to animals in their natural environment, to gather information on cetacean populations. The project integrates environmental DNA (eDNA) analysis to assess animal distribution, study of the respiratory tract microbiome, imagery collected with UAVs for photogrammetry to assess body condition, and hormone levels to derive stress status—all non-invasive techniques applicable to live animals.
CIMA Research Foundation’s contribution
CIMA Research Foundation leads activities related to cetacean sampling using UAVs and the collection of exhaled breath condensate samples along the Iberian coast and in the western Mediterranean. Additionally, we will develop a Body Condition Index (BCI) for assessing the body condition of animals, based on morphometrics collected through photogrammetry and necropsies of stranded animals. Finally, we are responsible for collecting marine water samples in the Mediterranean Sea.
