Under the sea of Naples there is a world that few know about, but which should be told with the same wonder reserved for the great tropical coral reefs. At around 15-20 meters deep, between the Gaiola Submerged Park and the Special European Conservation Area “Seabed of Gaiola and Nisida”, an authentic submerged treasure extends: the Coralligen, one of the most precious, complex and fragile ecosystems in the Mediterranean.
Here, enormous rocky banks are transformed into real underwater cities, animated by corals, fish, sponges, molluscs and crustaceans. A tangle of life that grows slowly, layer after layer, thanks to calcareous algae and bioconstructing organisms which, by fixing calcium carbonate, shape underwater landscapes of extraordinary beauty and biodiversity. It is not an exaggeration to call them “hot spots” of the Mediterranean: hundreds of different species coexist here in a very delicate balance.
This hidden heritage was at the center of the URCHIN project – Underwater Research Coralligenous Habitat In Naplesjust concluded and curated by the Marine Protected Area Submerged Park of Gaiola, directed by Maurizio Simeone, as part of the National Biodiversity Future Center program, and which has just published a spectacular video:
The research has made it possible to collect new scientific information on a habitat that is as fascinating as it is vulnerable, which thrives only in conditions of low light and great water stability, typical of depths starting from 15 metres.
It is not a world that is easily seen. Coralligenus lives far from the surface, silent and discreet, but plays a fundamental role in the health of the sea and the balance of coastal ecosystems. Precisely for this reason it is protected at multiple levels, from the Habitats Directive to the Natura 2000 Network, up to international action plans for its conservation. Yet it’s not enough. Climate change, pollution, human pressure and illegal fishing continue to represent a real threat.
Defending the Neapolitan coral reef means protecting much more than a seabed: it means safeguarding the future of a seaside city, its local economies and the biodiversity that makes the Mediterranean unique in the world. It is no coincidence that the URCHIN project also recalls the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividusa key species for the balance of coastal ecosystems and today increasingly affected by poaching.
The good news is that this treasure still exists. The responsibility is now collective. Because what grows so slowly, if destroyed, never comes back. And the sea of Naples, beneath its surface, holds a wealth that deserves respect, knowledge and protection.
