The conservation status of the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is considered of low concern in Madeiran waters. This species of dolphin, however, is being found more frequently in the low-depth inshore area between the Madeira and Desertas islands and is subject to several threats resulting from human activities.

The growing popularity of whale-watching and a rise in shipping traffic and recreational boats in the archipelago are increasing the pressure in the concerned area. These pressures may contribute, in the medium/long term, to a negative change in the conservation status of the bottlenose dolphin. To avoid whale-watching growing to an unsustainable level, it is important to establish operating areas and designate limits on the number of tours. All the cetaceans found in the Madeira archipelago are potentially subject to the negative impacts found in the Madeira archipelago are potentially subject to the negative impacts from this activity. The precautionary principle should be considered in order to maintain or halt eventual changes to their present conservation status.

The surveillance of the conservation status of cetacean species in Madeira has been conducted only in the inshore waters because of a lack of money.

Therefore, there is a lack of knowledge of the offshore marine environment of the Madeira Exclusive Economic Zone. In order to fill this gap, evaluation of the potential threats (such as fisheries) to cetaceans acting in the offshore environment of the Madeira EEZ is needed.

Other areas in the archipelago may also be candidates for marine Natura 2000 sites for this species. The creation of the marine Natura 2000 sites for bottlenose dolphin should take into consideration a wider perspective of the Atlantic population of the species shared by Madeira, Azores and the Canary Islands, which will clearly contribute to the improvement of the ecological coherency and connectivity of the Natura 2000 network of marine sites in the Atlantic.

One of the main constraints to the enlargement of the Natura 2000 network to marine environments is the lack of research on marine habitats and species far from the coast. Few organisations or institutions have the necessary means to undertake such work. The designation of SCIs has thus been affected by the lack of relevant data on specific species such as cetaceans and seabirds.

An Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is an area stretching to 200 nautical miles from the coast, over which a state has special rights to marine resources. Portuguese EEZs include one of the highest abundances of common bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) in Europe and are an important wintering ground for the Balearic shearwater (Puffinus mauretanicus).

A total of 7 SCIs (55400 ha) and 7 SACs (58500 ha) have been created in the Portuguese coastal and marine environment. Nevertheless, political and logistical difficulties have led to a significant delay in drawing up further SCI proposals in costal and marine areas. The availability of specific information needed for the implementation of appropriate management measures for cetacean and seabird species is also quite low.

The bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops truncatus) is a Mediterranean cetacean listed as “vulnerable” in IUCN Red List. It is estimated that 200-300 individuals live in the project area. As a coastal species, bottlenose dolphins are the most threatened by habitat degradation and loss. The main threats come from coastal urbanization, port construction, boat traffic, shipping, pollution by industrial and agriculture activities, overfishing and overexploitation. The Ligurian Sea and the Portofino coastal area are subject to intensive boat traffic, especially during the summer season, which significantly increases underwater noise pollution. This kind of impact represents a serious threat for cetaceans as they communicate and orient by underwater sonar-waves. Moreover, human interaction with bottlenose dolphins has to be regulated during the summer season when newborns and calves are present with adult individuals. In the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Portofino protection measures have not been carried out in the absence of impact assessments and monitoring. as “vulnerable” in IUCN Red List. It is estimated that 200-300 individuals live in the project area. As a coastal species, bottlenose dolphins are the most threatened by habitat degradation and loss. The main threats come from coastal urbanization, port construction, boat traffic, shipping, pollution by industrial and agriculture activities, overfishing and overexploitation. The Ligurian Sea and the Portofino coastal area are subject to intensive boat traffic, especially during the summer season, which significantly increases underwater noise pollution. This kind of impact represents a serious threat for cetaceans as they communicate and orient by underwater sonar-waves. Moreover, human interaction with bottlenose dolphins has to be regulated during the summer season when newborns and calves are present with adult individuals. In the Marine Protected Area (MPA) of Portofino protection measures have not been carried out in the absence of impact assessments and monitoring.

The Gulf of Riga is one of the most naturally diverse areas of the Baltic Sea. The coastal part of the gulf supports reef habitats that host various rare plant, fish and invertebrate communities. These habitats also play a major role in maintaining the functioning of the gulf’s ecosystem through, for example, nutrient assimilation. Both the Gulf of Riga and the Irbe Strait, which forms the main exit out of the gulf to the Baltic Sea, are used as bird stop-over and feeding sites during spring and autumn migration; and as wintering areas for significant numbers of European migratory birds i.e. more than two million individuals annually. The project area also includes several important bird areas, regularly holding more than 20000 waterbirds. There is a lack of knowledge about the biodiversity value of the offshore parts of the project area, resulting from a lack of monitoring. This lack also means it is not currently possible to quantify the negative impacts on the biodiversity of the Gulf of Riga. Nevertheless, it is known that main threats to the habitat and associated species are from non-native species and from eutrophication – both a result of diffuse pollution from land-use changing the nutrient balance of the ecosystem and its species composition. A further threat arises from oil spills from shipping that can cause clumping of bird feathers and damaging seabirds’ habitats.

The LIFE Yelkouan Shearwater project (LIFE06 NAT/MT/000097) set a precedent for undertaking seabird research and conservation in Malta, with intensive fieldwork undertaken to ascertain key feeding and rafting areas for the Yelkouan Shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan) breeding colony at Rdum tal-Madonna, the largest of its kind in Malta. The research for this project was undertaken with the aim of trialing methods to identify Marine Important Bird Areas (IBAs) for this species and other seabird species, which will help the Maltese government designating Marine Special Protected Areas (SPAs). As a second output, the project has created a roadmap for the Maltese government to fulfill its obligations of designating Marine SPAs for all of its internationally important seabird colonies.