BALANCING MARINE CONSERVATION AND REGIONAL USES: A TOOL-BASED ASSESSMENT OF POTENTIAL OECMs IN CAMPANIA (WESTERN MEDITERRANEAN)

BILANCIARE CONSERVAZIONE MARINA E USI REGIONALI: STRUMENTO PER LA VALUTAZIONE DI POTENZIALI OECM IN CAMPANIA (MEDITERRANEO OCCIDENTALE)

Abstract

The maritime area of the Campania Region hosts numerous sites of ecological interest, but also faces significant and often unregulated human pressures, underscoring the need for more targeted conservation efforts. In this context, Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs) – areas contributing to biodiversity conservation without formal Marine Protected Area status – offer a promising yet underestimated approach to safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem services. This study applies a novel decision-support tool from the EU-funded MarinePlan project to assess potential OECMs in the maritime area of the Campania Region, starting from its current protection framework. The tool uses a quantitative ranking system that objectively prioritizes areas based on their conservation value, management feasibility, and social acceptability. Four sites are presented to illustrate its practical application. By integrating ecological and socioeconomic factors, the tool effectively balances biodiversity conservation with other sectoral uses, providing a flexible solution where other legally designated areas may be unfeasible.