BICREF’s Research Projects include:

The Cetacean Research Project

BICREF is involved in the assistance to the National Year-Round Scientific Research Project launched by Dr. A. Vella in 1996. This intensive field research has allowed the Maltese Islands and the Central/Southern Mediterranean to be placed on the Map for long-term Scientific Cetacean research. Input of this work in international fora are various, example: the Common Dolphin Workshop by the European Cetacean Society with Dr. Vella’s contribution: The report and recommendations on Common dolphin research and conservation.

 

Coastal Marine Biodiversity Research and Monitoring Projects

BICREF is involved in various coastal marine projects with snorkling and SCUBA observations. Interested involvement of most SCUBA diving schools of the Maltese Islands in the BICREF Biodiversity Project is allowing for interesting monitoring of local coastal biodiversity year round since 2002. In 2007 the AWARE foundation sponsored BICREF for its biodiversity project.

 

Offshore Biodiversity: turtles, seabirds, manta rays, and much more

BICREF is involved in ongoing scientific conservation research of various marine organisms through marine surveys. BICREF also assists other ngos, such as Birdlife Malta in its research and management of sea birds, by making available its field observations and data, crucial to Birdlife Malta’s sea bird monitoring and conservation needs. This assistance has been of particular importance in recent considerations of the Yelkouan Shearwaters project, where BICREF’s data has helped Birdlife recognise how offshore these birds actually like to be, spend their time fishing and resting with another well known seabird the Cory’s Shearwaters. BICREF has for years assisted conservation research out at sea run by Dr. A. Vella, also looking at the types of human impacts observed out at sea.