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Conflicting reports stir debate about the recovery of the Mar Menor
Ecology groups have seen virtually no improvement in several vital habitats of the Mar Menor lagoon in the last 5 years
According to the study, vegetation in the lagoon has expanded to cover 92% of its surface, marking the largest growth seen since 2017. Vázquez stated that 85% of the previously bare areas have now been regenerated, with the total area of restored vegetation estimated at 5,964 hectares.
However, just nine days later, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography (IEO-CSIC) challenged these findings. According to the IEO, their ongoing research since 2014 shows no signs of habitat recovery in the last five years.
Their recent study, conducted by the Marine Angiosperm Ecology Group from the Oceanographic Centre of Murcia, highlights an increase in a specific type of green algae called ‘Caulerpa prolifera’. This algae had already taken over 100% of the mud by 2019, following the 2016 environmental crisis. The spread of this algae is linked to the entry of nutrients from human activities in the surrounding areas.
The IEO also reported that there has been no recovery in the meadows of ‘Cymodocea nodosa’, a seagrass species known as seba, which has actually declined. Additionally, 615 hectares of the ‘Caulerpa prolifea’ meadow have disappeared under a layer of murky water known as the ‘white spot’.
While the IEO acknowledges that the recovery of ‘Caulerpa prolifera’ since 2019 might have helped improve water quality in the lagoon due to its ability to act as a biological filter, they also warn that this filtering capacity is weakened by the loss of ‘Cymodocea nodosa’.
Based on these worrying findings, the IEO has raised serious concerns about the future, warning that the lagoon is still at high risk of collapsing, similar to what happened in 2016.
This is mainly due to the ongoing input of nutrients into the lagoon and the fact that ‘Caulerpa prolifera’ has a lower tolerance for warmer temperatures, making the lagoon particularly vulnerable to climate change.
Images: IEO-CSIC/IEO
