Dear MARMAM community,

We are pleased to share our recently published open-access article in Aquatic Conservation: Marine and Freshwater Ecosystems:

Mediterranean Gate Sanctuary for the Protection of Cetaceans
by Joan Giménez, Ana Cañadas, and Renaud de Stephanis
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70255

Summary:
The Alboran Sea, located in the western Mediterranean, hosts a rich and ecologically important cetacean community, including endangered species such as the Mediterranean common dolphin. Current marine protected areas (MPAs) in the region are limited and fail to address the wide-ranging needs of these species.

In this study, we:

• Synthesized existing national and international conservation initiatives in the Alboran Sea.
• Applied a spatial prioritization framework using species distribution models and threat-based cost analyses.
• Identified critical areas requiring enhanced protection and proposed the creation of a large-scale marine sanctuary—the Mediterranean Gate Sanctuary—to connect existing MPAs and safeguard cetacean habitats.

The proposed sanctuary emphasizes a threat-based, species- and space-oriented approach, fostering transnational collaboration and stakeholder engagement to ensure effective conservation and sustainable marine management.

The full article is available here:
https://doi.org/10.1002/aqc.70255

We hope this work contributes to ongoing discussions on marine spatial planning and cetacean conservation. Please feel free to reach out with any questions or comments.

Best regards,

Joan Giménez

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