A study by an ATU Galway researcher has been spotlighted in the December issue of the BBC Wildlife Magazine, bringing attention to the critical state of Europe's native oyster reef ecosystems.
The study, "European Native Oyster Reef Ecosystems Are Universally Collapsed" is co-authored by Dr José M. Fariñas-Franco, a marine ecologist at ATU Galway.
It revealed that the once-thriving native oyster reefs across Europe have now been classified as "collapsed" under the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List of Ecosystems criteria.
Historically, these reefs spanned vast areas, including a now-destroyed 20-mile-long reef off the coast of Arklow, Ireland.
However, modern-day assessments show that no remaining habitat exceeds 0.1 hectares in size.
Photographs of one of the last areas of known native oyster habitat, located off the West Coast of Ireland were also featured in the Discover Wildlife article, offering a visual glimpse into one of the last remnants of these vital habitats.
The publication of this research comes at a pivotal moment as international initiatives, such as the EU Nature Restoration Law, aim to reverse biodiversity loss by restoring degraded ecosystems.
