Study of Macrophytes in WFD 2000/60/EC: the response of the adopted indices to anthropogenic pressure along the Italian coast

The Angiosperm (i.e. Posidonia oceanica (L.) Delile) and the Macroalgae seem to be reliable bioindicators due to their wide distribution, reasonable size, sedentary habitat, easy collection, abundance and sensitivity to modifications of littoral zone. All over the world the coastal zone is subject to continuous population growth and increasing land use for agriculture, industrial and urban which generate the increase of human impacts on shallow coastal waters. These three players (agriculture, industry and urban areas) are the main drivers of continental pressures. The (LUSI) land Use Simplified Index is a specific method to evaluate the anthropogenic pressures (i.e. urban, industrial and agricultural areas) influencing a coastal water body. Water Framework Directive (WFD 2000/60/EC) regards Angiosperm and Macroalgae as biological quality elements (BQEs) in the evaluation of the ecological status of coastal water bodies respect to the pressures insisting on the monitored coastal segment. Italy, by means of the D.M. 260/2010, adopts the PREI (Posidonia Rapid Easy Index) (Gobert et al., 2009) and the CARLIT (Cartography Littoral Zone) (Ballesteros et al., 2007) as the National official classification methods. The PREI and the CARLIT data managed by "Si.Di.Mar" database in the frame of the National Monitoring Program (L. 979/82) have been collected during the 2008-2009 biennium in 29 areas (for the P.oceanica) and in 25 areas (for the macroalgae) within the Italian Seas. The aims of this study were to show the ecological classification results of Italian national sites through the P. oceanica and macroalgae BQEs, and to verify the sensitivity of the PREI and the CARLIT index respect to the pressures, testing a modified pressure indicator, named Ma - LUSI (Marine LUSI), which takes into account a greater number of pressure drivers.