EDMERP Details

General

Project Title

Marine forest coastal restoration: an underwater gardening socio-ecological plan - OCEAN CITIZEN

Project Acronym

Marine forest coastal restoration: an underwater gardening socio-ecological plan

Project Reference

Associated programme

Start Date

2023-01-01T00:00:00

End Date

2026-12-31T00:00:00

Geographic Area

Geocoverage

Sea Area

Mediterranean Sea

Atlantic Ocean

North Sea

Barents Sea

Observations

Data Theme

Biological oceanography

Cross-discipline

Environment

Description

Abstract

Following the non-achievement of the AICHI targets and most of the Good Environmental Status objectives for 2020, active restoration has been emerged (also envisaged by the EU) as one of the preferred tools that may boost sequels of marine protected areas and other conservation measures. Restoration acts promote biodiversity, enhance carbon sequestration and accelerate coastal and offshore resilience. Yet, we still lack a program that combines conservation and restoration under a unified setting, as the involvement of local citizen, embracing socio-economic parameters into opportunities. Thus, an advanced restoration program must conjoin ecological perspectives together with societal commitment and clear economic benefits for local communities. Above all, it must be designed with continuity beyond the lifespan of a project. Responding to the above, OCEAN CITIZEN proposal represent a novel restoration approach in which (1) restoration is depicted as a toolbox holding ubiquitous properties and as such it is experienced in 3 sites, representing different marine ecosystems (in one of the sites all tools are used in concert) and different environments: subtropical, tropical and cold temperate; (2) a profession of “gardeners of the sea” is created and endorsed, including detailed curriculum; (3) the project targets the restoration of the most neglected marine biome, encompassing the various types of Marine Forest (MF) organisms (seagrasses, seaweeds, sponges, corals, gorgonians, etc.);(4) new ecoengineering aspects are applied, including Integrated Multitrophic Aquaculture and Smart Enhanced Reefs (SER); the SERs act as substrates for massive recruitment and transplantation of MF organisms (5) the is performed on land, and in situ, from shallow, mesophotic to continental shelf areas (to 90-100 meters depth); (6) a novel approach for C sequestering and sink (7) the full involvement of citizens and local stakeholders with a complete business plan.

Project website

https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101093910

Originators

Coordinator

University of Lecce

Contact name

SERGIO ROSSI

Fax

E-mail

sdn-userdesk@seadatanet.org

Other Partners

University of Lecce

Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research

CONISMA, National Interuniversity Consortium for Marine Science

CSIC, Central Organisation

University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria. Faculty of Marine Science.

Barcelona University

NUI Galway

Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands

Technical University of Denmark, DTU Environment, Department of Environmental Engineering.

Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde

Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Group of Environmental, Resource and Ecological Economics, Department of Economics

Alfred Wegener Institute Helmholtz Centre for Polar and Marine Research

Institute of Marine Research

Sorbonne University

French National Center for Scientific Research (head office)

University of Exeter

Administration

Local identifier

2789

Creation Date

2023-03-06

Revision Date

2023-03-06