HABITATS LIC Espacio marino de Illes Columbretes

This dataset contains the habitats map from the SCI (Site of Community Importance) “Espacio marino de Illes Columbretes”. The Columbretes Islands, a series of small islands, islets and submerged elevations of volcanic origin, are found in the Western Mediterranean at the northern limit of the Gulf of Valencia, 28 miles from the Gulf of Oropesa and just over 50 kilometers from the coast to the east of Castellón de la Plana. There are 24 islets gathered in 4 groups each named after its largest landmass. This volcanic field covers an area of 90 by 40 kilometers at a depth of 80 to 90 metres. The Illa Grossa and the other islands and islets are formed from basaltic materials or phonolitic rocks. These islands and the associated submerged volcanic field are one of the rare examples of Quaternary volcanism in the Mediterranean. This study was supported by the INDEMARES-LIFE+ Project, EC contract INDEMARES-LIFE+ (07/NAT/E/000732): Inventory and Designation of the Natura 2000 network in marine areas of the Spanish State (www.indemares.es/en). This work was coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation (www.fundacion-biodiversidad.es). This study was made possible through the collaboration of multiple teams of researchers: Department of Ecology (University of Barcelona - UB), Center for Advanced Studies of Blanes (CEAB - CSIC), Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM - CSIC), Balearic Oceanography Centre (COB) - IEO (Spanish Institute of Oceanography) and Consolidate Research Group Marine Geosciences (GRC-GM) (University of Barcelona - UB). Habitats are classified according to EUNIS nomenclature and the List of Marine Habitats in Spain (LPRE, that it’s classified hierarchically and was completed and published in March 2013). Habitats classification are been simplified owing to the requirements of the EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network) portal for Seabed Habitats.