Four decades of research on the Medes Islands

It has been over thirty years since the publication of the first major study about the natural environment of Medes Islands. The data collected in that first study entitled Els sistemes naturals de les illes Medes (The natural systems of Medes Islands) and the conclusions drawn from its analysis revealed the biological characteristics of this archipelago and led to a proposed set of measures to ensure its preservation as a natural area of extraordinary importance. One of these adopted measures was the creation of the Medes Islands Marine Protected Area in 1990. Protection rules derived from this measure have allowed researchers to develop a number of studies on several species inhabiting these islands (mostly in the submerged parts of the ecosystem) and to continuously monitor the evolution of the associated natural systems and the impact of human activities (fishing, diving, nautical tourism, etc.), both to the whole ecosystem and to very important and characteristic species including Neptune grass (Posidonia oceanica), Mediterranean violescent gorgonian (Paramuricea clavata), red coral (Corallium rubrum) and Mediterranean dusky grouper (Epinephelus marginatus). The results of these studies performed on Medes Islands during the four previous decades suggest that only through continuous monitoring and data collection, and further analysis, is it possible to define the appropriate regulations to ensure the protection and preservation of natural areas at risk of being altered by human activities, preservation measures that promote the development of new studies and the improvement of the knowledge of the functioning of natural systems. [Contrib Sci 11:75-83 (2015)]Keywords: Medes Islands · reserve effect · frequentation effect · benthic communities · demersal communitie