ARDITI marks ten years of marine monitoring off Porto Santo

ARDITI is running a scientific campaign in Porto Santo from 3 to 14 July 2026, marking ten years of the BioMa marine biodiversity monitoring programme. Supported by the IFCN, the campaign combines scientific diving with high-resolution bathymetric surveys carried out by DRIX, an autonomous surface vehicle operated by the Madeira Oceanic Observatory. Divers will assess coastal habitats, fish, mobile macroinvertebrates and benthic communities, while DRIX maps previously poorly documented areas of the island's northern coast. The work aims to track ecological changes over time and support better-informed marine conservation and management decisions.