Laboratoire "ÉCOSYSTÈMES CORALLIENS – Structure & fonctionnement" – Équipe d'Ichtyoécologie Tropicale & Méditerranéenne"

Scientists:     Dr. Serge PLANES: marine biology, recruitment, dispersal, evolutionary biology and genetics.

Dr Philippe LENFANT: fish biology and ecology in Mediterranean ecosystems, GIS, fisheries

Dr Raymonde LECOMTE: fish ecology (mostly coral reef fish), oceanography, fisheries, MPAs

Specific skills:  The CNRS partner has a general expertise in marine fish biology, population dynamic and population genetics. The CNRS’ partner groups experts in marine ecology with extensive expertise in long terms surveys of marine protected areas. The partner has been involved in survey of Port-Cros (Var), Scandola and Lavezzi marine parks (Corsica), Côte Bleue (Bouches du Rhône) and Banyuls (Pyrénées Orientales). Previous work included: 1/ monitoring of fish populations and fish recruitment, of posidonia ecosystem fauna, of algae and invertebrates populations; 2/ monitoring of artisanal coastal fisheries (listing of practices, gears, target species, evaluation of fishing effort, catches, by-catches within and around the MPAs), using cartographies and G.I.S for spatial description of data. Finally the partner has elaborated different management plans, recommendations and guides dedicated to MPAs. Regarding the Côte Bleue and Banyuls MPAs, the partner has almost 10 year of survey of marine fauna in relation to the protection, as well as socio-economic component associated. These last two dataset will be used for the present project proposed. Presently, the partner is in charge of the co-ordination of the BIOMEX project (Assessment of BIOMass EXport from marine protected areas and its impacts on fisheries in the western Mediterranean Sea, project EU DG Pêche QLRT-2001-00891, 2003-2006). This ensures that results of this large survey will be made available for the new project.

Role in the project: Co-ordinator of WP1; participating in WPs 2, 3, 4 and 6; supplying data from case studies #1, 2, 7, 8 and 9. This partner is going to sub-contract the “GIS Posidonie” lab for completing some phases of the work.

Sub-Contractors: This partner is going to subcontract “GIS Posidonie” for support in the activities. CNRS has been long in contact with the GIS Posidonie because of their expertises and data set on some MPAs in the Mediterranean Sea. The G.I.S. Posidonie is a N.G.O. (association loi 1901) scientific agency housed by the Centre d'Océanologie de Marseille (C.O.M.) Faculté of Science of Marseille-Luminy (UMR Dimar), which is a CNRS-University laboratory involved in fundamental research in marine ecology. The G.I.S. Posidonie is dedicated to more applied research and studies serving directly the management of littoral and protected areas. The team activity dealing with protected areas is focused mainly on the National Park of Port-Cros, the natural reserve of Scandola (Corsica) and the reserve of Carry le Rouet, near Marseille. Most of the data regarding these MPAs are not published and remains available only through the GIS Posidonies. Therefore in the perspective to increase the case studies and to collect as much data as we can, we believe the GIS Posidonies will make a consequent input. In addition, we also included the GIS Posidonies as sub-contractor because eof their experience in the MPAs that we be of special interest in the general framework of the project while defining which data to collect, which descriptors to consider, etc…                   

Planes S., Galzin R., Garcia-Rubies A., Goñi R., Harmelin J.-G, Le Diréach L., Lenfant P. and Quetglas A. (2000) Effects of marine protected areas on recruitment processesin the meditteranean ecosystems. Environmental Conservation, 27 (2) : 126-143.

Polunin N., Goni R. and Planes S. (2000) The Mediterranean: degradation of a large marine ecosystem and the science of recovery. Environmental Conservation , 27 (2): 95-97.

Lecchini D., Lenfant P. and Planes S. (2002) Variation in abundance and population dynamics of sea-urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) on Catalan coasts (north-western Mediterranean) in relation to habitat and marine reserve. Vie et Milieu 52: 111-118.

Lloret J. and Planes S. (2003) Condition, feeding and reproductive success of white seabream (Diplodus sargus) as indicators of habitat quality and the effect of protection in the northwestern Mediterranean. Marine Ecology Progress Series 248: 197-208.

Galzin R., Crec’hriou R., Lenfant P. and Planes S. 2004. Les aires marine protégées: un laboratoire pour la recherche scientifique. Revue d’Écologie (Terre Vie) 59: 37-48.

EC projects:     ECOMARE, MAS3-CT97-0155, partner

    SETMORT, EU DGXIV MED007, partner

    BIOMEX, QLRT-2002-00891, EPHE: co-ordinator

    FISH & CHIPS, STREP - Contract n° 505491, 2004-2007, partner

    SARDYN, QLRT-2001-00818, partner