The 8-year Life Marha project is coordinated by the French Biodiversity Agency and brings together 12 partners, including Ifremer. Its objective: to improve the conservation status of marine natural habitats (coastal and deep) by optimising the implementation of the European Natura 2000 directive at sea.
The Marhalio 19 - Golfe du Morbihan cruise is part of the Life Marha project and more specifically its "Spatial approach for the characterization of the state of conservation of eelgrass beds" component. Its objective is to improve our understanding of the dynamics of the "sea eelgrass" habitat, its variability and its response to local and/or global pressures.

The acoustic data collected during the cruise (interferometric sonar, single-beam echo sounder) will provide information on the distribution of the seagrass beds (Zostera marina), their area and density. Combined with the optical observations planned for Marha, they will allow an updated mapping of eelgrass beds of the gulf of Morbihan
The data will be validated through the video recordings carried out during the cruise as well as all the observations made for the Marha project on the site (dives, field observations...).