Monitoring of the marine mammals monitoring

The Tavolara – Punta Coda Cavallo Protected Marine Area is home to the marine mammals, a very vulnerable species in the Mediterranean Sea. Consequently, bottlenose dolphin are protected through international agreements regarding the protection of nature and marine environments.

Although the bottlenose dolphin is considered the most common cetaceaous of the Mediterranean waters, it lives in small communities that are isolated geographically from one from another. An estimate on the number of seals living in the Mediterranean Sea is not available, except for a few small areas.

Therefore, the monitoring project to verify the status of bottlenose dolphin communities is a priority of the Marine Area. The project is being led by the Marine Area management, in collaboration with Crimm, (Center of Research of Marine Mammals) in Porto San Paolo.
Each year, Crimm researchers estimate the bottlenose dolphin population through the following techniques: a study of group structure, identifying sex and age ranges; an analysis of changes in the composition, dimensions and use of the habitat; identification and classification of risk factors (qualitative and quantitative) for the species, noting critical areas.
Finally, Crimm will produce a report for the Marine Area management. This report serves as the basis for conservation strategies, especially for habitats frequented by females and young bottlenose dolphin.