| Project Detail |
Advancing active restoration to promote coastal and offshore resilience
The loss and degradation of European marine ecosystems is alarming, especially those dominated by marine forests (seagrasses, seaweeds, sponge grounds, coral and gorgonian forests, etc.). There is an urgent need to prevent, stop and reverse this degradation. Active restoration has emerged as a preferred tool to boost marine-protected areas, also connecting healthy habitats. Not only does restoration promote biodiversity, but it also enhances carbon sequestration and boosts coastal and offshore resilience. In this context, the EU-funded OCEAN CITIZEN project will develop a new approach in which restoration serves as a toolbox holding ubiquitous properties. For instance, a profession of "gardeners of the sea" will be created and endorsed, intended to recover the most neglected marine biomes, marine forests.
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. |
