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Coastal Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration
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Coastal Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration

A special issue of Water (ISSN 2073-4441). This special issue belongs to the section "Oceans and Coastal Zones".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 20 October 2026 | Viewed by 2184

Editors

Dr. Ettore Nepote

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Life and Environmental Science, Polytechnic University of Marche, Ancona, Italy
Interests: marine ecology; impact assessment; benthos; macrofauna; statistical analysis
Dr. Martina Canessa

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Dipartimento Di Scienze Della Terra Dell’Ambiente E Della Vita (DISTAV), Università Di Genova, Corso Europa, 26-16132 Genova, Italy
Interests: marine ecology; habitat mapping; biomineralogy; benthos; GIS
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

This Special Issue aims at promoting effective protection measures to maintain a high level of coastal biodiversity as well as restoration interventions with a particular focus on protected habitats. Papers concerning issues related to the assessment of the ecological status of precious marine habitats are welcome for publication, especially those considering long-term changes and/or multiple stressors. In particular, submitted studies should contain new approaches for the conservation of coastal biodiversity and/or innovative restoration methods that can be of help in achieving the goals of th EU Nature Restoration Law and the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. Studies testing innovative technologies (e.g., automatic systems and fixed points of observation) that assess the effectiveness of conservation and restoration actions on local biodiversity are envisaged. Papers that supply mitigation and compensation measures useful in the environmental impact assessment procedure will be particularly welcome. Studies showing positive examples of recovery capacity of marine resources or habitats due to conservation measures or restoration efforts will be particularly appreciated.

Dr. Ettore Nepote
Dr. Martina Canessa
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Water is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • biodiversity
  • restoration
  • coastal zones
  • protected habitats
  • conservation measures

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

18 pages, 1393 KB  
Article
From Artificial Structures to Biogenic Habitats: Two-Year Ecological Responses to Eco-Engineered Reefs in a Tourism-Dominated Adriatic Sandy Coast
by Michele Mistri, Marco Pezzi and Cristina Munari
Water 2026, 18(14), 1673; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18141673 - 10 Jul 2026
Viewed by 490
Abstract
Sandy coastal ecosystems are among the most widespread yet ecologically simplified marine habitats, particularly where anthropogenic pressures and the scarcity of structurally complex habitats limit biodiversity. This study evaluated the ecological effects of eco-engineered submerged reefs deployed in 2021 along the sandy coast [...] Read more.
Sandy coastal ecosystems are among the most widespread yet ecologically simplified marine habitats, particularly where anthropogenic pressures and the scarcity of structurally complex habitats limit biodiversity. This study evaluated the ecological effects of eco-engineered submerged reefs deployed in 2021 along the sandy coast of Lido degli Scacchi (northern Adriatic Sea, Italy). Twenty-one fully submerged eco-engineered Tecnoreef® modules were installed within the gaps between existing detached breakwaters, introducing a highly porous and architecturally complex habitat into a shallow sedimentary environment. Benthic communities were monitored over two years through the assessment of soft-bottom infaunal and hard-substrate epifaunal assemblages. Community development on Tecnoreef modules was compared with that occurring on adjacent limestone breakwaters under both windward and leeward exposure conditions. Infaunal assemblages were primarily influenced by hydrodynamic exposure and showed limited differentiation between habitat types, although abundance and diversity increased around the submerged structures over time. In contrast, epifaunal communities exhibited marked temporal changes and developed compositions distinct from those observed on breakwaters. Among the taxa contributing most strongly to community differentiation was the reef-building polychaete Sabellaria spinulosa. The progressive establishment of this ecosystem-engineering species suggests that the eco-engineered modules provided favorable conditions for the early stages of secondary biogenic habitat development, although longer-term monitoring will be required to determine whether these developing habitats persist and evolve into stable ecological systems. Our results provide encouraging evidence that structurally complex submerged reefs can increase habitat heterogeneity and support the development of diverse benthic assemblages in highly modified sandy coastal environments. Although longer-term monitoring is required to assess habitat persistence and ecosystem-level effects, these findings highlight the potential of eco-engineered reefs as nature-based tools for supporting biodiversity enhancement and habitat development in tourism-dominated coastal landscapes. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration)
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19 pages, 2224 KB  
Article
Evaluating Leaf Area and Biomass Relationship in Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile: A Tool for Non-Destructive Assessment
by Francesco Pelizza, Chiara Robello, Muriel Oddenino, Eva Germani, Francesca Capobianco, Alice Oprandi and Monica Montefalcone
Water 2026, 18(12), 1419; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18121419 - 10 Jun 2026
Viewed by 510
Abstract
Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is a seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and a significant contributor to human well-being through a variety of ecosystem functions, such as carbon cycling. Despite its ecological significance, most methods for estimating leaf biomass in this species are [...] Read more.
Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile is a seagrass endemic to the Mediterranean Sea and a significant contributor to human well-being through a variety of ecosystem functions, such as carbon cycling. Despite its ecological significance, most methods for estimating leaf biomass in this species are either destructive or expensive. In this study, 2500 individual leaves from 351 shoots of Posidonia oceanica were collected, across 16 sites in the Ligurian Sea, over two time periods (2016–2018 and 2024–2025), and analyzed for total leaf area and dry weight. An allometric equation following a power-law structure was derived using linear mixed-effects models and it was later validated via 10-fold cross-validation. Although some variations in the intercept term were observed, the allometric scaling structure remained consistent across space and time, providing the first robust species-specific allometric tool to estimate P. oceanica biomass, forming the basis of a proposed non-destructive protocol for meadow-scale biomass estimation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration)
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15 pages, 2016 KB  
Article
Co-Occurrence of Shallow Scleractinians Cladocora caespitosa (Linnaeus, 1767) and Oculina patagonica De Angelis D’Ossat, 1908 in the Ligurian Sea
by Andrea Molinari, Giorgio Bavestrello, Martina Canessa and Alessandra Cosma
Water 2026, 18(9), 998; https://doi.org/10.3390/w18090998 - 22 Apr 2026
Viewed by 730
Abstract
Cladocora caespitosa is an endemic hermatypic scleractinian in the Mediterranean Sea, currently threatened by both environmental and anthropogenic pressures, whereas Oculina patagonica is a cryptogenic hermatypic scleractinian that is expanding across the basin. This study provides the first assessment of co-occurring natural populations [...] Read more.
Cladocora caespitosa is an endemic hermatypic scleractinian in the Mediterranean Sea, currently threatened by both environmental and anthropogenic pressures, whereas Oculina patagonica is a cryptogenic hermatypic scleractinian that is expanding across the basin. This study provides the first assessment of co-occurring natural populations of these shallow-water taxa, examining their population structures, habitat preferences, and responses to environmental stressors based on SCUBA surveys conducted in the summers and autumns of 2022 and 2023. Both species were dominated by medium- to large-sized colonies, indicating relatively stable population structures, with C. caespitosa exhibiting significantly higher densities than O. patagonica. Both scleractinians showed a preference for sub-vertical and vertical rocky substrates, although O. patagonica appeared more tolerant of horizontal surfaces. Disease events were more frequent and severe in C. caespitosa, particularly affecting larger colonies during autumn 2022, whereas O. patagonica showed lower incidence and greater resilience overall. Temporal comparisons suggest that O. patagonica may act as a strong competitor to C. caespitosa; however, both species demonstrate a considerable capacity for recovery, likely due to adaptation to high-stress environments. These findings highlight key differences in ecological strategies and vulnerability to environmental stressors, emphasizing the need for targeted conservation approaches to preserve Mediterranean shallow-water coral communities under accelerating climate change. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Coastal Biodiversity Conservation and Restoration)
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