Posidonia Meadow Monitoring

Last week, the AMPN carried out the annual monitoring of the vitality of the Posidonia meadow within the Larvotto Marine Protected Area (MPA).

Established in 1976, the initial aim of this MPA was to preserve the Principality’s only Posidonia meadow. As a true underwater forest, this plant plays an essential role by providing shelter for numerous species, stabilizing seabeds, reducing coastal erosion, capturing carbon, and contributing to oxygen production.

To ensure its long-term conservation, several scientific monitoring programs have been implemented since the MPA's creation by the AMPN, including monitoring of the meadow’s deepest boundary to assess its dynamics.

Since 2016, an additional monitoring program has been conducted in collaboration with Dr. Heike Molenaar to more precisely assess the meadow's vitality.

Through several dives at different sites, divers measure the density of Posidonia shoots and collect leaves for laboratory biometric analyses (length, width, weight, etc.).

Repeated annually, these observations enable tracking of changes in the meadow over time and adaptation of management and protection measures within the MPA, ensuring the long-term preservation of this exceptional ecoàsystem.

This programme is supported by the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.

Photo credit : Stéphane Jamme - Aquanaute Expertise