Assessing human maritime activities impacts on biodiversity: The case of shipping in the Mediterranean

Stefania Palmentieri; Maria Paradiso; Clara Di Fazio; Stefania Palmentieri; Maria Paradiso; Clara Di Fazio

doi:10.3934/geosci.2026016

AIMS Geosciences

2026, Volume 12, Issue 2: 423-453. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2026016

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Research article

Assessing human maritime activities impacts on biodiversity: The case of shipping in the Mediterranean

1.
Department of Human Studies, University of Naples Federico II, via Porta di Massa, 1, Naples, Italy
2.
Department of Human Studies, University of Naples Federico II and National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC), via Porta di Massa, 1, Naples, Italy

Received: 20 October 2025 Revised: 02 February 2026 Accepted: 05 March 2026 Published: 08 April 2026

Maritime transport plays a key role in global trade; yet, in semi-enclosed seas such as the Mediterranean, its growth intersects with exceptionally high marine biodiversity and dense coastal use, creating acute challenges for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). Although policy frameworks increasingly require evidence-based mitigation of shipping pressures, implementation is hindered by fragmented and unevenly structured information on shipping activities and biodiversity-relevant variables within geoportals. This research is an approach/framework to indicators' development through a DPSIR based framework and methodological workflow. It could support the development and geoportal structuring of shipping biodiversity indicators for the Mediterranean. The framework was distilled through an interdisciplinary literature synthesis: A DPSIR conceptualisation tailored to shipping–biodiversity pathways; a screening of publicly accessible international and Italian marine geoportals; and some stakeholder workshops and semi-structured interviews to validate operational relevance and feasibility. As a result, we provide a reformulated DPSIR mapping linking shipping drivers, pressures, biodiversity state variables, impacts and responses, and a structured set of qualitative, geoportal-ready indicators with associated metadata requirements. The framework was designed to be applied immediately for qualitative screening and to guide future quantitative operationalisation as harmonised datasets become available, supporting Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and MSP implementation in the Mediterranean.
- marine biodiversity,
- maritime spatial planning (MSP),
- geoportal,
- shipping indicators,
- marine environmental management
Citation: Stefania Palmentieri, Maria Paradiso, Clara Di Fazio. Assessing human maritime activities impacts on biodiversity: The case of shipping in the Mediterranean[J]. AIMS Geosciences, 2026, 12(2): 423-453. doi: 10.3934/geosci.2026016

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Abstract

Maritime transport plays a key role in global trade; yet, in semi-enclosed seas such as the Mediterranean, its growth intersects with exceptionally high marine biodiversity and dense coastal use, creating acute challenges for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP). Although policy frameworks increasingly require evidence-based mitigation of shipping pressures, implementation is hindered by fragmented and unevenly structured information on shipping activities and biodiversity-relevant variables within geoportals. This research is an approach/framework to indicators' development through a DPSIR based framework and methodological workflow. It could support the development and geoportal structuring of shipping biodiversity indicators for the Mediterranean. The framework was distilled through an interdisciplinary literature synthesis: A DPSIR conceptualisation tailored to shipping–biodiversity pathways; a screening of publicly accessible international and Italian marine geoportals; and some stakeholder workshops and semi-structured interviews to validate operational relevance and feasibility. As a result, we provide a reformulated DPSIR mapping linking shipping drivers, pressures, biodiversity state variables, impacts and responses, and a structured set of qualitative, geoportal-ready indicators with associated metadata requirements. The framework was designed to be applied immediately for qualitative screening and to guide future quantitative operationalisation as harmonised datasets become available, supporting Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and MSP implementation in the Mediterranean.

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