Research Sites
Demonstrating our Approach in 3 Regions
Marine SABRES is developing a simpler framework for implementing ecosystem-based management.
This simple Socio-Ecological System will enable managers to make sustainable decisions about the ocean, empower citizens to engage with marine biodiversity conservation, promote sustainable development, and set European marine management on a course to reverse biodiversity decline — all by rapidly increasing the uptake of ecosystem-based management.
Co-developing a simple Socio-Ecological System, with stakeholders and testing its useability will be done in three regions in Europe with different focuses for each.
Research Site 1
The Tuscan Archipelago
Our work in the Tuscan Archipelago, a group of islands off Italy’s western coast, will focus on tourism and conservation of seagrass beds. We will restore seagrass beds by finding alternative mooring solutions. The recovery of seagrass beds from physical disturbance will be assessed by replicated diving surveys to assess recovery rate in terms of biodiversity, protection from invasive species and carbon sequestration. Measures to promote more sustainable mooring and boat use across private users and commercial charter companies will be developed.
Research Site 2
Arctic Northeast Atlantic
Our work in the Arctic Northeast Atlantic will encompass Iceland, Greenland, and Faroes and will look at the impact of climate change and challenges surrounding commercial fisheries. The focus will be on important species, including both commercial species (e.g. mackerel, capelin and cod) and demersal fisheries (e.g. cod, capelin) and those with particular conservation value (e.g. marine mammals and elasmobranchs). We will examine the effects of climate change and changing oceanographic conditions to identify likely shifts in species distribution and abundance and potential areas of conflict. Together with stakeholders, we will also examine the capacity of communities to respond to environmental change and identify and implement the measures required to change human behaviour.
Research Site 3
Macaronesia
Our work in Macaronesia — which encompasses the archipelagos of the Azores, Madeira, and the Canary Islands — focuses on the conservation and restoration of biodiversity and the benefits of ecotourism. Our research here will focus both on benthic habitats, non-migratory species and locally successful protection measures, as well as migratory species (e.g., marine mammals, sharks, tunas, seabirds) whose habitat straddles the three island groups and which provide different types of societal benefits. Existing coastal restoration and conservation projects in Macaronesia will be analysed to identify the quantitative benefits of restoration to tourism activities, including the bird and marine mammal watching sectors. Lessons learned will be transferred to the application of a region-wide efforts to develop a biological conservation corridor for migratory species such as cetaceans, seabirds and fishes.