Abstract: Climate change has become a main direct driver causing biodiversity loss. It led to the increase in frequency and intensity of marine heatwaves (MHWs) over the past decades, which in turn can be associated with the rapid increase in mass mortality events (MMEs) of marine organisms. Although members of the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD) have agreed to accelerate on using marine protected areas (MPAs) to conserve biodiversity, few MPAs have been implemented considering climate change adaptations, and their effectiveness is therefore brought into question. By assessing the exposure of Italian MPAs to MHWs, MMEs, and the possible recovery of affected populations, this study aims to examine if the bathymetric features of a MPA can improve its resilience towards climate change impacts. Our findings show that MHWs have occurred in all Italian MPAs, and support the hypothesis that adjoining mesophotic zones could improve the chance of recovery after a MME for certain taxa. Further studies at Mediterranean level are necessary to confirm the importance of the mesophotic zone in providing resilience to MPAs. In this context, we strongly suggest the increase of mesophotic habitats representativity on the Mediterranean MPA networks as a climate mitigation strategy for shallow populations.
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