Page 2 - GEOLOGICAL-ACOUSTICAL

Ustica Islands (south-western Tyrrhenian Sea))inner shelves, make possible to sketch
geomorphological and sedimentological maps, whose details have been tested as deep
as 45 m in diving surveys.
On the basis of the collected data sets, the inner shelf (0-60 m) has been subdivided
into different portions, following the concept of the Environmental Unit (E.U).
Every E.U. presents constant morphological and sedimentological features that,
probably, can be associated to specified biological communities.
In order to find the relationships between physical settings and communities, geo-
logical thematic maps are eventually overlaid and fitted to macrobenthic and fishery
spatial distribution maps. The result, based on the rule of the Environmental Impact
Assessment, puts into evidence the major environmental features and territorial links,
useful for correct evaluation and management of a Marine Protected Area.
This strategy has informed the GEBEC project, designed to sketch an overall picture
of some coastal areas in Southern and Central Mediterranean (Egadi Islands, S. Maria
di Castellabate coast, Ustica Island) needing protection and sustainable development.