Marine Research & Higher Education Center
ZARATAN’s mission is two-fold. We aim to encourage the active knowledge of marine life and ecosystems by means of:
RESEARCH &
CONSERVATION
Through collaborative scientific expeditions, focused (but not limited) on the Mediterranean region, we contribute to understanding and conserving marine biodiversity.
During the Summer 2024 we started a research project focused on the Mediterranean cardinalfish Apogon imberbis to investigate the role of habitat and conspecific presence on grouping decisions (this study is a collaboration with THE FISH LAB, Wollongong University, Australia). In 2025 we expanded the study of fish sociality to other Mediterranean species.
EDUCATION & SCIENTIFIC DISSEMINATION
We educate to enhance respect for marine life and biodiversity through a widespread educational activity by promoting:
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Collaborations with national and international academic programs for field-based undergraduate courses (e.g. ISI Florence, The Pennsylvania State University, Kent State University).
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Graduate and undergraduate students research projects, offering mentoring and founding opportunities.
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Publications of books & visual science products (e. g. scientific illustrations, videos, photos).
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Participation in scientific seminars and conferences for dissemination of findings.
ZARATAN, part of the World Biodiversity Association, is a Marine Research & Higher Education Center founded in 2024 by Dr. Rebecca Branconi promoting increased knowledge of biodiversity and conservation issues in the Mediterranean region.
Why this name?
The Zaratan is a colossal mythological sea creature found in literature and folklore throughout the world. Usually, it is described as a gigantic turtle and, occasionally, as an enormous fish, crab, octopus or whale that it is so long-lived and huge that is often mistaken for an island. In fact, according to myths, over time soil would accumulate on the back of the creature so that bushes, trees and forests would grow on it. Therefore, this creature represents a link between the emerged and submerged worlds, the known and the unknown, and we named a Marine Research & Higher Education Center “ZARATAN” as a metaphor to remind us 1) how little we really know about what happens under the sea surface and 2) the fundamental connection and interdependence between terrestrial life and marine ecosystems.
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Climate change. The Mediterranean region is warming 20% faster than the global average. Impacts will exert additional pressure on already strained ecosystems and on vulnerable economies and societies.
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Invasive species. More than 1,000 non-indigenous marine species have been recorded and 618 species are considered established, causing concern about the threat they pose to marine ecosystems and local fishing communities.
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Habitat degradation & pollution. The Mediterranean Sea is recognized as a major basin for accumulation of marine litter and plastic pollution (each year 230,000 tonnes of plastic enter the Sea from land-based source and 20,000 tonnes could be attributed to the shipping activities). Around 70% of habitat loss of Posidonia oceanica is projected by 2050 with a potential for functional extinction by 2100.
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Overfishing. About 75% of fish stocks are still overfished in the Mediterranean, rising to 93% within EU waters, and total fish populations have fallen by more than a third over the past half-century.
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Mass tourism. The Mediterranean plays host to 220 million tourists annually, a figure projected to increase to 350 million in twenty years. This projected increase could lead to uncontrolled development of the entire Mediterranean basin, degrading the unique natural and cultural wealth of the region.
From 1950-2011, the Mediterranean lost 41% of top predators, including marine mammals. Projections suggest that more than 30 endemic species will become extinct by the end of the century (UNEP).
This is the reason why promoting increased knowledge of biodiversity and conservation issues in the Mediterranean region through ZARATAN is fundamental.
Why is ZARATAN important/necessary right now?
The azure waters of the Mediterranean Sea are a global icon of a coastal paradise, an international biodiversity hotspot (more than 17,000 marine species with the highest rate of endemism globally) and have sustained civilizations for millennia. But this icon is under threat:
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