Marine landscapes and habitats of Cilento Geopark (Italy). Linking geo- and bio- diversity with a multiscalar approach

The Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Alburni Geopark Administration appointed the Geological Survey of Italy (ISPRA), in collaboration with the Italian National Research Council (CNR) and the University "Parthenope" of Naples (DISAM), to map the seascapes off Cilento down to a depth of 100 m, as part of the official Geological Map of the Park. The map was realized at 1:110,000 scale for the entire Geopark, covering a marine area of 460 square kilometers, up to a depth of 100 m. A detailed map of the marine protected area "Santa Maria di Castellabate" was produced at 1:30,000 scale. The seafloor was described according to a classification based on geomorphology, geological composition, and dominant organisms. The cartographic representation is largely based on the morphological features derived by a detailed bathymetry, completed using geological seabed data compiled by the Italian Geological Mapping Project at 1:50,000 scale (CARG Project). Complementary biological data were collected by Remotely Operated Vehicle inspections. Morphological features have been subdivided into seven geoforms (bank, ridge, fan, plain, ledge, terrace, boulder field/rock) that, coupled with substrate types and dominant biota, identified 12 landscape units in the 1:100,000 map, whereas they resulted in 14 habitat units in the 1:30,000 map. This study highlights the relevance of geophysical and geological data for the interpretation of benthic habitat characteristics at different scales. The approach is aimed at emphasizing the strict relationship between geodiversity and biodiversity.