When we talk about biodiversity, we often think about the number of species found in a place. Birds, insects, plants, sharks, rays, corals, seagrasses, mammals, fungi, and all the living systems that make an ecosystem function.

But biodiversity is not only about whether a species is present.

It is also about whether that species is still there in healthy numbers, whether habitats still function properly, and whether the natural balance of an ecosystem has been maintained or slowly pushed out of place.

This is where the Biodiversity Intactness Index (BII), becomes useful.

The Biodiversity Intactness Index is a scientific measure that estimates how much of an area’s original biodiversity remains compared with an undisturbed or minimally disturbed natural baseline.

In simple terms, BII asks:

How intact is nature here compared with how it would be without major human pressure?

A BII score is usually expressed as a percentage.

A score close to 100% suggests that an ecosystem is still close to its natural state. Species are not only present, but many are still found in the kinds of numbers expected in a healthy, functioning habitat.

A lower score suggests that human pressures such as land conversion, pollution, overexploitation, urbanisation, intensive agriculture, coastal development, or habitat fragmentation have reduced the abundance of originally present species.

This makes BII more powerful than a simple species list. A species list may tell us what has been recorded. BII helps us understand how much ecological integrity remains.

For conservation, this distinction matters.

An area may still contain wildlife, but if most species are present only in very low numbers, or if sensitive species have disappeared and only disturbance-tolerant species remain, the ecosystem may no longer be functioning as it once did. BII helps translate this ecological change into a clear, comparable indicator.

At Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd, we see BII as a valuable tool for connecting science, fieldwork, public engagement, and practical decision-making.

Our work already combines marine and terrestrial conservation, ecological research, environmental consulting, citizen science, education, and digital systems. Integrating BII into this work gives us a stronger framework for measuring not only where biodiversity exists, but how intact and resilient those ecosystems are.

For our conservation projects, BII can help us identify priority areas more clearly. By combining BII data with field surveys, species records, camera trap data, shark and ray sightings, habitat assessments, community observations, and local ecological knowledge, we can build a more complete picture of biodiversity conditions.

This can help us answer important questions:

• Which habitats are still relatively intact and need urgent protection before they are degraded?
• Which areas have already lost biodiversity but could recover through restoration?
• Where are human pressures increasing fastest?
• Which conservation actions are likely to deliver the greatest ecological benefit?
• How can we measure progress over time, instead of only reporting activity?

For marine and coastal work, BII can also support broader ecosystem thinking. Many of the species we care about, including sharks, rays, fish, seabirds, marine mammals, seagrasses, and coastal invertebrates, depend on connected and functioning habitats. A degraded coastline, damaged nursery area, polluted bay, or fragmented marine landscape does not affect one species alone. It affects the whole web of life.

By using BII alongside species-specific monitoring, we can better understand the condition of the wider ecosystem that supports those species.

This is especially important for projects such as shark and ray monitoring. Recording sightings is essential, but the next step is understanding the habitat and ecological context behind those records. Are sightings increasing because populations are recovering, because reporting is improving, or because animals are being displaced from other areas? Are key habitats still intact? Are coastal pressures reducing the long-term ability of ecosystems to support these species?

BII does not answer every question by itself, but it gives us a strong starting point for deeper investigation.

For our consulting work, BII can help organisations make better nature-related decisions.

Businesses, landowners, developers, tourism operators, supply chains, funders, and public bodies are increasingly expected to understand their impacts and dependencies on nature. Biodiversity is no longer just an environmental issue. It is becoming a planning, risk, compliance, investment, and reputation issue.

Through consulting, Merman Conservation can use BII as part of a wider biodiversity assessment process to help clients:

1. Map biodiversity risk across sites or project areas.
2. Understand whether activities are taking place in highly intact, degraded, or recovering ecosystems.
3. Screen projects before development decisions are made.
4. Identify where restoration, avoidance, mitigation, or biodiversity net gain actions are most needed.
5. Support reporting aligned with emerging nature-related frameworks.
6. Build practical biodiversity strategies that are grounded in evidence rather than vague commitments.

BII can also help make biodiversity communication clearer. Many people understand carbon because it can be measured, tracked, and reported. Biodiversity is more complex, but tools like BII help make the condition of nature easier to explain without oversimplifying the science.

For Merman Conservation, this is important because we believe conservation should be transparent, accessible, and useful. Good data should not stay locked away in technical reports. It should inform decisions, support communities, guide restoration, improve policy, and help people understand what is happening to the natural world around them.

By integrating BII into our work, we can achieve several important outcomes.

• We can improve conservation planning by identifying where action is most urgent.
• We can strengthen project design by linking activities to measurable biodiversity outcomes.
• We can support restoration by tracking whether the biodiversity condition is improving over time.
• We can help clients understand their nature-related risks and opportunities.
• We can make biodiversity reporting more credible, practical, and science-based.
• We can connect citizen science and professional ecological assessment into a stronger evidence base.
• Most importantly, we can move from simply describing biodiversity loss to actively measuring, managing, and reversing it.

BII is not a replacement for local ecological surveys, species monitoring, community knowledge, or expert fieldwork. Instead, it is a complementary tool. Its real value comes when it is combined with on-the-ground evidence, local context, and practical conservation action.
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That is the approach we want to take at Merman Conservation.

We want to use BII not just as a number, but as a decision-making tool.

A way to see where nature is still strong.

A way to identify where it is under pressure.

A way to measure whether our actions are making a real difference.

And a way to help communities, organisations, and partners work toward a future where biodiversity is not only protected on paper, but restored in the places that need it most.

Because conservation is not only about counting what remains.

​It is about understanding what has been lost, protecting what is still intact, and rebuilding the living systems that support both wildlife and people.

Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd has submitted a formal scientific proposal to the Greek Ministry of Environment and Energy for the protection of the coastal marine area of Liri, South East Pelion, based on field data collected since 2023, complemented by records from BiodiversityGR covering 2018 to 2022.

Despite its ecological significance, the area is under repeated pressure from professional and recreational fishermen who set nets directly adjacent to the breeding caves, placing both seal pups and stingrays at serious risk of entanglement and disturbance.
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Our proposal includes six specific requests: designation as a Wildlife Refuge, a 300-metre fishing exclusion zone around the caves during the pupping season, a permanent ban on fishing gear near the cave entrances year-round, official signage and notices to local fishing communities, inclusion in the national registry of critical elasmobranch habitats, and a formal monitoring mandate for Merman Conservation in the area.

Today, we took an important step to protect one of Europe’s most iconic species—the wolf. Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd. submitted an urgent appeal to EU delegates attending the 44th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Bern Convention, urging them to oppose the proposal to downlist the wolf from Appendix II to Appendix III.

This decision, if approved, would weaken protections for wolves across Europe, making it easier to hunt and kill them. Such a change risks undoing decades of conservation progress and jeopardizes the ecological balance that wolves help maintain.

Why This Matters

​Wolves play a critical role in our ecosystems. By controlling herbivore populations, they prevent overgrazing and help maintain healthy landscapes. Yet, despite their ecological importance, the wolf is far from secure. A 2022 report by the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE) revealed that only three of Europe’s nine wolf subpopulations are classified as “Least Concern.” The rest remain vulnerable or in danger.

The proposal to downlist the wolf is not supported by scientific evidence. Studies from around the world, including the USA, Spain, Italy, and Slovakia, have shown that increased hunting disrupts wolf pack structures, potentially leading to more livestock attacks—not fewer.

• USA: Wielgus & Peebles (2014) found that wolf mortality often leads to more livestock depredations.
• Spain: Fernández-Gil et al. (2016) showed that conflicts mislead management efforts, emphasizing the importance of coexistence.
• Italy: Imbert et al. (2016) revealed factors driving wolves to prey on livestock, underscoring the need for preventive measures.
• Slovakia: Kutal et al. (2024) demonstrated that public wolf hunting failed to reduce livestock losses.

Preventive measures, such as fencing, guarding dogs, and increased human presence, have proven far more effective in reducing conflicts between wolves and livestock.

Public Opinion Is Clear

A recent survey of public opinion on wolf conservation underscores widespread support for maintaining strict protections:

• 71% of respondents across EU Member States favor keeping the wolf's current protection status.
• Only 29% support downgrading it.

Even in rural communities most affected by wolf presence, there is a strong preference for coexistence measures over culling.

Our Message to Delegates

​In our appeal, we emphasized that weakening the wolf’s protection status could set a dangerous precedent for other strictly protected species. The Bern Convention is a cornerstone of Europe’s biodiversity conservation efforts, and downgrading the wolf’s status would contradict its mission during a critical period of climate change and biodiversity loss.

We called on delegates to:

• Reject the downlisting proposal to ensure the wolf remains strictly protected.
• Promote coexistence by supporting effective, non-lethal measures for livestock protection.
• Champion biodiversity by upholding the goals of the EU Green Deal and the Kunming-Montreal Biodiversity Framework.

A groundbreaking research paper by Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd has revealed the first confirmed sighting of the invasive coral species Oculina patagonica in the Pagasetic Gulf near Volos, Greece. This discovery, published in the International Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Studies, underscores both the ecological significance of this semi-enclosed gulf and the potential threat posed by this resilient species.

Citation of the published article: Taklis Christos. First record of Oculina patagonica de Angelis D'Ossat, 1908 in the Pagasetic Gulf, Greece. Int J Fish Aquat Stud 2024;12(6):24-27. DOI: https://doi.org/10.22271/fish.2024.v12.i6a.2990

Pagasetic Gulf: A Jewel of Marine Biodiversity
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The Pagasetic Gulf is a marine treasure in the Thessaly region of Greece. This semi-enclosed body of water, connected to the Aegean Sea through a narrow strait, hosts a vibrant array of marine life, thanks to its mix of natural sandy, rocky, and muddy substrates. These varied habitats support everything from fish and crustaceans to delicate coral ecosystems, making it a critical hotspot for biodiversity in Greek waters.

However, this ecological haven is now facing a new challenge. The discovery of Oculina patagonica—a coral species known for its invasive tendencies—has raised concerns about its impact on the delicate balance of this thriving ecosystem.

A Significant Discovery by Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd

This research, spearheaded by Christos Taklis, Director of Merman Conservation Expeditions Ltd, highlights how rising sea temperatures and human activities such as shipping and coastal development are facilitating the spread of invasive species. The study documented the coral at Faraggi Beach during a 2021 biodiversity survey, where three colonies were found thriving in shallow waters.

“This finding is not just about a new species record,” the study emphasizes. “It’s about understanding how non-native species can alter marine ecosystems in areas like the Pagasetic Gulf, which are already facing stress from climate change and human interference.”