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The first protocol on how to collect and interpet data has been developed by researchers

In recent weeks, the researchers participating in LIFE Conceptu Maris have reached an important step for the development of the project and, therefore, for the conservation of the symbolic species of the Mediterranean, cetaceans and sea turtles.

Indeed, after months of work, the partners defined the first draft of a shared protocol for the collection and analysis of data on species and the environment, in line with the requirements of the legal framework.
From a technical point of view, it was the conclusion of action A2 (First draft protocol data collection & analysis) for which the French partner ÉcoOcéan Institut is responsible, a crucial document for the continuation of the project which required the joint effort of all the partners.
In a nutshell, this is the first document (LINK – section MEDIA > Project documents) that defines a single standard for an infinite number of operations in which, until now, each research team risked acting in its own way: from how to monitor species and human activities (waste and maritime traffic) to how to collect water samples for ecological analyses, from which methodologies to use to develop and test suitable indicators of the assessment of the conservation status of species to how to interface with the complex legal aspects existing for each species.
The first, enormous advantage of this new approach will be the possibility of comparing data in any area of the Mediterranean, at any time and with researchers from other projects. It is therefore a sort of “common” language designed to defend biodiversity.