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Patterns of scuba diver behaviour to assess environmental impact on marine benthic communities: a suitable tool for management of recreational diving on Benidorm island (Western Mediterranean sea)

  • Autores: S. V. Jiménez Gutiérrez, Germán Martín González Árbol académico, José Tena Medialdea Árbol académico
  • Localización: Nereis: revista iberoamericana interdisciplinar de métodos, modelización y simulación, ISSN 1888-8550, Nº. 2, 2009, págs. 19-28
  • Idioma: español
  • Enlaces
  • Resumen
    • español

      Pocos estudios han analizado el comportamiento de los buceadores en el mar Mediterráneo y ninguno se ha centrado en las áreas marinas protegidas. El daño hecho por los buceadores suele ser bajo, pero los efectos acumulados, pueden ser importantes, aunque localizados. Este estudio se llevó a cabo durante el 2005 en una zona de buceo llamada La Llosa, cerca de Benidorm (Alicante, Mediterráneo occidental), con más de 7.000 inmersiones al año. La muestra aleatoria de buceadores llegó al tamaño 217. Se observó a cada buceador durante 10 minutos (Rouphael & Inglis, 2001), en la temporada alta (junio-octubre), de manera que los buceadores no supieran que eran vigilados, para no interferir en su comportamiento habitual. Los resultados mostraron que el 95% de los buceadores entran en contacto físico con los sustratos bentónicos durante el período de observación de 10 min. Las tasas de contacto fueron significativamente diferentes en función del nivel de certificación de buceo (Man-Whitney, p <0,003) detectándose mayor número de contactos en los niveles más altos de certificación de buceo (corrección de Bonferroni). Los buzos que utilizan linterna tuvieron un mayor número de contactos con el sustrato que los que no la usaron (2, p < 0,022). Pero, no hubo diferentas significativas, entre los que llevaron cámara y no la llevaron (p < 0.366). Tampoco las hubo entre los buzos a los que se dio una conferencia previa a la inmersión y a los que no. La conferencia previa sobre medio ambiente no tuvo efecto sobre el número de contactos con las manos (2, p < 0,194), lo que demuestra un bajo nivel de sensibilidad de los buceadores ante el medio ambiente marino. Se concluye que la disminución de la tasa de contacto de los buceadores se podría conseguir mejorando su conciencia medioambiental, especialmente la de los buceadores profesionales

    • English

      Few studies have analyzed the SCUBA divers� behaviour in the Mediterranean Sea and none of them involved marine unprotected areas. Generally speaking the damage done by individuals is quite low, but the, accumulative effects of these disturbances can cause significant localised destruction of benthic marine organisms. The present study was carried out during the year 2005 on a diving site called La Llosa, on Benidorm Island (Alicante:

      Western Mediterranean Sea) with more than 7,000 dives per year. Two hundred and seventeen (217) divers were monitored randomly. Each subject was observed underwater for 10 minutes (Rouphael & Inglis, 2001). Samples were randomly collected during the high diving season (June-October). Divers were not aware of this surveillance so as not to interfere with their normal patterns of behaviour. The results showed that 95% of divers came into physical contact with benthic substrata during the 10-min observation period. Fin contact rates were significantly different depending on the diving certification level (Man-Whitney test, p<0.003) detecting the greatest number of contacts within higher diving certification levels (Bonferroni correction). Divers using an underwater light device came intocontact with the substratum significantly more frequently than non-light users (2, p < 0.022). However, contact rate did not show significant variance across divers using a camera and those who did not (p<0.366). No difference was found between contact rates of divers who were given a briefing and those who were not. Environmental briefing before diving had no effect on the divers� hand contact rates (2, p< 0.194), which shows a low marine environmental sensitivity level of divers. We concluded that the decrease in scuba divers contact rate would take place given an improvement of environmental awareness, specially among professional divers.

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