The Pelagos Sanctuary hosts eight resident cetacean species. Genetically different from Atlantic populations, their conservation is essential to preserve the whole biodiversity of the Ligurian Sea. The NATURA 2000 network is currently identified as one of the most efficient conservation tools due to its legally binding nature; however, its effectiveness for cetacean preservation is still unclear. The study used data systematically collected within the Pelagos Sanctuary from 2008 to 2021 by the FLT Med Net and the LIFE Conceptu Maris projects to investigate cetaceans distribution, Richness and diversity related to the existing protected areas. Of the 423 hexagons considered, only 21.28% of the study area was covered by French NATURA 2000 sites and 9.22% by Italian sites. French NATURA 2000 sites had the highest coverage of weighted Encounter Rate (ER_w) and biodiversity values. Only three species showed statistically significant differences between the French and Italian protected and non-protected hexagons, and biodiversity showed no significant difference. Only T. truncatus had higher median over Italian protected hexagons. The Pelagos Sanctuary still lacks offshore NATURA 2000 sites, especially in Italian waters. For this reason, areas to amplify the Network aimed at increasing cetacean and biodiversity conservation were highlighted in the results of this study.

Accumulation of plastic litter in the marine environment is a pressing global concern. To study this issue, we use the Blue2 Modelling Framework (Blue2MF), an integrated modelling tool developed by the Joint Research Centre (JRC) of the European Commission. Our study uses the Lagrangian model LTRANS-Zlev (LTRANS) in the Blue2MF to simulate the trajectories, distribution, and accumulation of macroplastics in five European marine basins: the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Atlantic Northwest European Shelf, and Atlantic Southwest European Shelf. By incorporating model-estimated macroplastic inputs from land and estimations of maritime (fishing) sources, we simulate distribution patterns of marine macroplastics between 2016 and 2018. Our study addresses the challenges involved in modelling the spatial distribution and abundances of macroplastics with the LTRANS model and the factors that may condition the estimation of the model accuracy when model results are compared/validated with marine litter observations available. We compare our model results with available observations, achieving a good agreement between predicted and observed macroplastic distributions and abundances and estimating the model accuracy for both beached and floating macroplastics. Our study provides a basis for future forecast runs to evaluate the impact of policy/management options on marine macroplastic pollution in European Seas.

The loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), one of the most widespread and ecologically significant megafauna species in the Mediterranean, exhibits ontogenetic shifts in spatial distribution and habitat use throughout its life cycle, which further vary under different seasonal environmental conditions. However, how ontogeny and seasonality jointly shape the large-scale use of oceanic habitats remains poorly understood. Most research has focused on coastal areas, while the oceanic habitats, crucial for development, foraging, and migration have received comparatively limited attention. We investigated the spatial and seasonal patterns of oceanic loggerhead turtles in the Western Mediterranean and Adriatic Seas using standardized ferry-based surveys conducted between 2019 and 2024 within the LIFE CONCEPTU MARIS and FLT Med Net projects. For the first time at this large-scale, individuals were consistently assigned to three life stages (early juveniles, late juveniles, adults), enabling robust ontogenetic comparisons across seasons through multivariate analyses and stage-specific Species Distribution Models. Environmental associations partially overlapped among life stages but varied consistently with ontogeny and season, with differentiation being most pronounced in spring and autumn. Early juveniles were associated with warm, productive, and dynamic waters, whereas adults occurred mainly in deeper and more thermally stable offshore habitats. Late juveniles showed broader and more variable associations, often occupying transitional shelf-oceanic zones influenced by mesoscale activity. Across the basin, the Algerian, Tyrrhenian, and Adriatic regions emerged as recurrent offshore areas used by multiple life stages, although their spatial extent and seasonal importance varied among stages. By integrating ontogeny and seasonal perspectives, this study refines the understanding of loggerhead turtle spatial ecology in the Mediterranean and identifies persistent offshore areas of conservation relevance, supporting the need to extend management beyond coastal ecosystems.

Modeling species distributions in dynamic pelagic environments remains challenging, particularly for wide‐ranging and highly mobile species when there is limited guidance on model performance. This limitation constrains the effective use of species distribution models (SDMs) in marine conservation, where robust and transferable predictions are essential for conservation planning. Using the loggerhead turtle ( Caretta caretta ) as a case study, we developed a benchmarking workflow to compare modeling strategies across spatial resolutions, environmental predictor variables, and algorithms. We evaluated five common modeling approaches—generalized linear models, generalized additive models, random forest, boosted regression trees, and MaxEnt—and used a 15‐year dataset of visual surveys collected along standardized ferry‐based transects across the Mediterranean Sea, with environmental predictor variables averaged across years to capture recurrent summer conditions. Model outputs were assessed for their ability to predict habitat suitability and space‐use patterns in dynamic pelagic environments. At the same time, robustness and spatial transferability were evaluated using an independent, basin‐scale aerial survey dataset. Our results revealed consistent patterns informing SDM selection for wide‐ranging pelagic species. In offshore Mediterranean pelagic systems, increased spatial resolution improved the ecological interpretability of predicted habitat patterns, whereas an extended set of dynamic oceanographic predictors enhanced the characterization of habitat associations. Independent validation was critical for selecting robust and transferable modeling algorithms, with MaxEnt and generalized additive models providing the most reliable performance for suitability and encounter rate (ER) modeling, respectively. Combining presence‐only and encounter rate models helped distinguish habitat suitability from observation intensity. Overall, this study developed an empirically tested workflow to support robust, consistent, and policy‐relevant SDM applications for mobile marine species in offshore, data‐limited systems. By clarifying trade‐offs among modeling approaches, this framework enhanced the application of SDMs to inform spatial planning, conservation prioritization, and species distribution and habitat‐use assessments within regional and international conservation frameworks.