Complex ecosystems, marine animal forests provide essential services for the survival of many species, including our own.
Between the few centimetres of depth beneath the sea's surface and the deepest, most remote ocean abysses, lie ecosystems that are fundamental to the survival of many aquatic and terrestrial species, including our own. These are marine animal forests, environments characterised by the presence of plant organisms such as algae, but unlike their terrestrial counterparts and as the name suggests, also and above all by animal organisms. The documentary Marine animal forests, produced by the Istituto per gli studi sul mare Verdeacqua, a partner of LifeGate's Water Defenders Alliance (Wda), sets out to tell the story of this colourful and fascinating world, which provides us with material benefits and helps us combat climate change.
Directed by Emilio Mancuso – president of the Institute – and underwater photographer Pietro Formis, the documentary, approximately 25 minutes long, was made with the support of the Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo as part of the "Re:azioni. Difendi l'ambiente, contribuisci al benessere di domani" grant programme. Its preview screening took place on 9 June in Turin, during the environmental film and documentary festival Cinemambiente. Since then, it has also become a valuable resource for LifeGate's NextJournalist project.
Among the "animals" that make up marine animal forests – that is, those that live within them and at the same time also serve as their structural elements – are marine invertebrates such as sponges, corals, gorgonians, bryozoans, molluscs and worms. Some of these marine forests characterise at-risk habitats, including the so-called Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems, found at all depths and throughout the ocean. And they provide invaluable services.
In the documentary, this is discussed by Chiara Lombardi, experimental marine ecologist, Enea researcher since 2010 and, from July 2024, Head of the Enea Biodiversity and Ecosystems Laboratory. "Marine animal forests perform a whole range of functions that can be compared to those performed by forests on land. They create extremely complex and extremely important ecosystems because they allow the survival of countless organisms living around them, but not only that: they are able to improve the quality of the sea."
In particular, the documentary focuses on the activities of another Wda partner: Smart Bay Santa Teresa, in La Spezia. This is a cooperation platform established in 2021 and renewed in 2025 between research institutions such as Enea, Cnr, Ingv, local stakeholders such as the Cooperativa di mitilicoltori associati and Scuola di mare, and institutions including the Comune di Lerici.
Within this bay, thanks to some of the Water Defenders companies, several solutions are active to contribute to ecosystem health, including the collection of waste from the seabed, the collection of floating plastics using a "plastic catcher" device, and kits for preventing pollution from oil and hydrocarbon spills.
The shared goal is to create an ecosystem model, based on research, technology and local needs, in which humans collaborate with nature for the recovery of its spaces and their protection, while at the same time benefiting from its services.
Marine animal forests are essential ecosystems, but also fragile ones. For the most part, negative impacts are human-caused. They can be direct, such as the construction of infrastructure, fishing with destructive gear, and plastic pollution; or indirect, such as the effects of climate change.
"Among the factors that certainly influence animal forests at a local level, we find temperature, and in particular heatwaves – the so-called heat waves – which are those periods when the average water temperature is higher than the seasonal average for a given number of days," explains Lombardi.
"In the past, these events have caused, for example, mass mortality among gorgonian species, in particular paramuricea clavata, which is the red gorgonian, and which represents a vitally important resource in the Gulf of La Spezia, both for biodiversity and for animal forests." Other parameters monitored by the research centre include, for example, oxygen levels – the scarcity of which makes it difficult for organisms to breathe – and the lowering of pH levels, meaning an increase in the partial pressure concentration of CO2 in the water.
Human activity does not always have a negative influence on the development of marine animal forests. Sometimes, in fact, humans become their very creators: this is the case with mussel and oyster farming installations, which gradually transform into forests destined to become true oases of life and biodiversity. This is confirmed by Paolo Varrella, president of the Cooperativa Mitilicoltori Associati of La Spezia, as he describes the role of the farms in the gulf.
"The point is to manage the growth of oysters and mussels. These are organisms that feed and breathe on their own by filtering water, so there is no need to administer food. Over the years, we have also developed various initiatives and projects to improve our presence within the marine environment, with projects focused on environmental sustainability and above all on joining Smart Bay Santa Teresa." Varrella speaks of the mussel pergolas hosted at Scuola di mare, which "are also called vineyards of the sea because they hang from ropes and are growing forests of molluscs and animals to which other organisms attach themselves – such as fan worms or small fish, other encrusting animals, dog's-tooth shells, sponges, colonial bryozoans: there is a whole variety of species that find refuge and shelter here."
The documentary Marine animal forests takes us directly below the surface – of the sea, but also of the news. On the one hand, as we have noted, it represents a useful resource for LifeGate's NextJournalist project, which helps young environmental journalists to better understand the sea, the problems afflicting it and the possible solutions for safeguarding marine and ocean habitats. On the other hand, the surface is a symbolic line beneath which those who report on the present – and above all those who will report on the future – must learn to dive: swimming through the sea of news, sources and information is essential in order to identify valid data with which to build an honest account of the world around us, one that is truly useful to everyone. Just like marine animal forests.