Progress report for
Committing EUR 10 million for research and innovation actions for the assessment and prediction of cumulative impacts on the ocean
Achievement at a glance
Two large projects were funded under the EU’s research and innovation Horizon Europe programme (EUR 19,6 million):1. GES4SEAS (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101059877): Achieving Good Environmental Status for maintaining ecosystem Services, by Assessing integrated impacts of cumulative pressures (20 partners / EUR 9 million/ 4 years from 01/09/2022)
2. ACTNOW (https://cordis.europa.eu/project/id/101060072): Advancing understanding of Cumulative Impacts on European marine biodiversity, ecosystem functions and services for human wellbeing (34 partners / EUR 10,6 million/ 4 years from 01/03/2023)
Next Steps
Benedicte CaremierBeneficiaries
European national agencies, universities and research institutes:
Fundación AZTI Spain, Aarhus Universitet, Denmark University, Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC) Spain, Institutul National de Cercetare-Dezvoltare Marina Grigore Antipa (NIMRD) Romania, Suomen Ymparistokeskus (SYKE) Finland,Johann Heinrich Von Thuenen-Institut, Bundesforschungsinstitut Fuer Laendliche Raeume, Wald Und Fischerei (TI-SF) Germany, Panepistimio Aigaiou (UAegean) Greece University, Stichting Wageningen Research (WR) Netherlands,Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) Greece, Marine Institute (MI) Ireland, Universidade de Aveiro (UAVR) Portugal , Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA) Italy,Scitation - Science Communication Lda (Scitation) Portugal, MariLim Gesellschaft für Gewässeruntersuchung mbH (MariLim) Germany, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) France, Nederlands Instituut voor Onderzoek der Zee (NIOZ) The Netherlands, Centro Interdisciplinar de investigacao marinha e ambiental (CIIMAR) Portugal, Fondazione Centro euro-mediterraneosui cambiamenti climatici (CMCC) Italy, Danmarks Tekniske Universitet (DTU) Denmark, Ecopath International Initiative Asociacion (EII) Spain, Carl von Ossietzky Universitaet Oldenburg (UOL) Germany, Université de Montpellier (UM) France, Institut de Recherche pour le déeveloppement (IRD) France, Universitaet Rostock (UROS) Germany, Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario per le Scienze del Mare (CONISMA) Italy, Universidad de Vigo (UVIGO) Spain, Universita’ di Pisa (UNIPI) Italy, Alfred-Wegener-Institut Helmholtz-Zentrum fur polar- und meeresforschung (AWI) Germany, Universita degli studi di napoli Federico II (UNINA) Italy, Helsingin Yliopisto (UH) Finland, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen (KNAW) the Netherlands, Stockholms Universitet (SU) Sweden, Institut po Bioraznoobrazie i Ekosistemni Izsledvaniya Balgarska Akademiya na Naukite (IBER-BAS) Bulgaria, International Council for the exploration of the sea (ICES) Denmark, Ethniko kai Kapodistriako Panepistimio Athinon (NKUA) Greece.
Non-EU bodies:
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (CEFAS) UK, International Estuarine & Coastal Specialists Ltd (IECS) UK, Plymouth Marine Laboratory Limited (PML) UK, Swansea University (SWANSEA) UK, The University Court of the University of St Andrews (USTAN) UK, Marine Biological Association of the UK (MBA), Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR), Tel Aviv University (TAU) Israel, Universitetet i Tromsoe - Norges Arktiske Universitet (UiT) Norway, Norsk Institut for Vannforskning (NIVA) Norway, Havforskningsinstituttet (IMR) Norway, Turkiye Bilimsel Ve Teknolojik Arastirma Kurumu (TUBITAK) Turkey, Middle East Technical University (METU), Eidgenoessische Technische Hochschule Zuerich (ETH) Switzerland.
Actions
GES4SEAS: Developing an innovative and flexible toolbox, tested, validated, demonstrated and upscaled, in the context of adaptive Ecosystem-Based Management, including methods based on biologging, satellite and genomics (eDNA), for different ecosystem components, especially for the management of harmful algal blooms, jellyfish and invasive species and monitoring marine mammals. This will allow competent authorities to assess and predict the effect of multiple stressors (including climate change) and pressures from human activities, at national, sub-regional, regional and European levels. The project will integrate stakeholders and key competent authorities in a Practitioner Advisory Board, that will help co-creating and validating the toolbox and the Ecosystem-Based Management approach. GES4SEAS should achieve Technological and Societal Readiness Level 6, since the solutions will be tested and demonstrated in 11 Learning Sites (LSs). These LSs have been selected to explore geographical specificities, in four regional seas, with regards to the impacts of cumulative pressures (including climate change) on the functioning of ecosystems, and their capacity for providing ecosystem services, to ensure better management. This includes LSs to explore transboundary issues and a LS at pan-European scale, to explore comparability and harmonisation across regional seas, and gain understanding on the functioning of transverse topics (e.g. invasive species, harmful algae and jellyfish blooms, and top predators). Finally, to internationalise the outputs, a LS in the Caribbean Sea has been included, in relation to the SDGs framework and intense extreme events.ACTNOW project will advance the sunder standing and forecasting of the cumulative impacts of climate change and interacting drivers on marine systems. Bringing together more than 30 researchers (from physiologists to food web ecologists and physical climate scientists to policy experts) from 16 countries, it will provide solutions options. For example, it will develop monitoring methods based on new biologging technology and decision support tools for regulators.