The Minister stressed the "vital importance" of the need to take appropriate measures to protect marine biodiversity in the opening of a presentation of Spanish projects for research on vulnerable marine ecosystems on the high seas, organised by the Marmara.
Ms Aguilar said that MARM will "continue to promote marine environmental research in both Spanish and international waters because it is a fundamental tool to assess the state of fisheries, locate and protect the most valuable ecosystems and ensure sustainable exploitation of resources in the marine ecosystem."
MARM believes that conservation of marine ecosystems and the protection of their biodiversity seas and oceans is an obligation of all nations and citizens in general on this planet.
The Minister stressed that Spain is providing comprehensive compliance with the resolutions of the UN and FAO guidelines in relation to a responsible and sustainable fisheries in the marine ecosystem.
Ms Aguilar presented a review of the Spanish research projects for vulnerable marine ecosystem research at sea and thanked the cooperation of the governments of Canada, Russia, UK and Namibia as well as the cooperation of the Spanish fishing industry.
In Spanish waters, MARM is developing a programme to map the seabed of Spain, from the coastal edge to 200 feet deep.
In international waters, various projects are being carried out:
- ECOVUL / ARPA, for the northwest Atlantic, in the Hatton area Banck, conducted in cooperation with the Spanish fishing industry, which has served for the International Council for the Exploration of exclusion recommended sites to preserve coral reefs, cold water.
- Atlantis to the South West Atlantic, has succeeded in locating several vulnerable marine ecosystems in this area.
- NEREIDA: currently underway for the northwest Atlantic and developed by scientific institutions in Spain, Canada, Russia and the United Kingdom.
- Mapping Project of the Southeast Atlantic, in collaboration with the Government of Namibia.
Finally, the Minister has encouraged teams of scientists to continue with work. "Spain is now one of the pioneering countries in the world of marine research," she concluded.
