In 2020, a gorgonian forest was discovered 19 meters deep next to the breakwater of the new entrance to the port of Barcelona. The researchers from the Institut de Ciències del Mar-Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICM–CSIC) were surprised by the finding, that there could be a large colony there, and began to study it and think about actions to promote its preservation and growth. Now, they go one step further and in collaboration with Belong to Sea, a company specialized in raising awareness in the business world of the importance of preserving biodiversity in the sea, they bring this work closer to citizens, involving them in it.
The initiative, called Gorgonia Barcelona, is part of the European Union's Responsible Research and Innovation (ResBios) project and has made the Catalan capital the first city in the Mediterranean to undertake active reforestation of its seabed. The ICM-CSIC team has the collaboration of the City Council, the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan Federation of Underwater Activities (Fedcas), the MB92 shipyards and the Maremagnum shopping center. The latter two contribute workers to the project.
“Although they resemble plants, like coral, gorgonians are animals and their job is to create structure. Other forms of life arise around them”, highlights Josep Maria Gili, a CSIC professor who works at the ICM. "We wondered how it was possible that there was such a large population -he continues- in an area like that, in a port city, and we considered carrying out an active repopulation from cuttings collected, and that after passing through the laboratory they would plant themselves again ”.
“It is easier to raise awareness about the protection of terrestrial ecosystems than marine ones. Many people are unaware of the importance they have, and we must also take into account that everything ends in the sea”, highlights Cristina Arenas, founder together with María Coll of Belong to Sea. “We go to the beach, we bathe and we think that there is no life; Well, yes, there is, ”adds the latter. “Throwing a washcloth into the water –she continues- has consequences; In the dives, gorgonians have been seen with some that had stayed on top of them that were doing them harm, since they need a clear environment to be able to feed ”.
The employees of the companies that participate as volunteers help take care of the gorgonians that have been extracted from the seabed to be studied at the ICM-CSIC facilities in Barceloneta for four or five months. "We feed them in a special way with the anticipation that when we return them to their natural habitat, they will be prepared and grow better," explains ICM researcher Janire Salazar. “We even give them a name – she adds – and so each person takes care of their own, and then, when they are returned to the sea, we can individually monitor their evolution”.
With this initiative, Gili emphasizes, “we seek the connection between scientists and citizens; it is like a classroom open to the sea, from this direct knowledge it is easier to become aware”. In addition, he adds, "thanks to this participation, the project can have a larger scale." For Coll, "Barcelona has all the conditions to carry out these activities, it has companies committed to the environment, as well as great scientific capital and a citizenry that is increasingly demanding more tangible actions in the face of biodiversity loss."
