Mediterranean gorgonian forests: Distribution patterns and ecological roles Proceedings of the 3rd Mediterranean symposium on the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions

Healthy coralligenous habitats may host dense populations of gorgonians, like Paramuricea clavata and Eunicella cavolini that build marine animal forests. According to recent studies, these forests appeared able to increase the resilience of coralligenous habitats and to enhance the structural complexity and bioconstruction processes. They are also able to increase species diversity and limit the invasion of alien species. The major limitation in the conservation of these forests is the lack of knowledge on their actual distribution and the extents of their ecological roles. Nowadays, by combining information from scientific literature, citizen science projects and the World Wide Web is possible to fill part of these gaps and draw a more comprehensive picture for the Mediterranean Sea. This knowledge represents the baseline to address effective conservation measures on gorgonian forests and coralligenous accretions.