The sessions > Ecological systems and biodiversity : Recent evolutions and impacts of global changes

The Mediterranean region is one of 34 biodiversity hotspots identified worldwide. The Mediterranean indeed has a large number of endemic continental and marine species which rub shoulders with more common species resulting from anthropization over the long term of the Mediterranean, on land (forests of oaks and pines ...) as at sea (Posidonia meadows ...). Agrodiversity has also great nutritional value for societies and a major heritage value as a genetic resource. This agrodiversity contributes to the socio-ecological resilience, but is now threatened by agricultural industrialization. Finally, the Mediterranean is home to almost 10% of the world's marine biodiversity, but most stocks are declining worryingly due to anthropogenic pressures (pollution, overfishing ...) and more recently by invasive species.

Impacts of climate change (water scarcity, desertification, sea warming and acidification ...) have been added to these anthropic pressures to put biodiversity under high pressure in the Mediterranean. It is therefore essential to understand and monitor the effects of these global changes in order to best limit the negative impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services by favoring sustainable management. In this session, we will present a summary of the state of knowledge from the MISTRALS program on Mediterranean biodiversity, its specificities and its vulnerability to recent changes.