FutureMARES

Research Directions:

Environmental genomics

Marine biodiversity

Ecology and ecosystem management

Description:

This project aims to provide socially and economically viable nature-based solutions (NBS) for climate change adaptation and mitigation to safeguard the natural capital, biodiversity and services of marine and transitional ecosystems. The links between species, community traits, ecological functions and ecosystem services under the impact of climate change will be studied using the best available data from monitoring programs, targeted experiments and beyond state-of-the-art modelling. Ensemble physical-biogeochemical projections will identify climate change hotspots and refugia. Shifts in the distribution and productivity of keystone and endangered species and the consequences for biodiversity will be projected within different NBS scenarios to reveal potential ecological benefits, feedbacks and trade-offs. Novel, social-ecological vulnerability assessments will rank the severity of climate impacts on various ecosystem services and dependent human communities and inform managers and policy-makers on the respective economic costs. Finally, three scenarios of NBS will be developed: i) restoration of habitat-forming species acting as ‘climate rescuers’, ii) conservation actions aiming to preserve the integrity of food webs (e.g. MPAs) and protect endangered species, and iii) sustainable ecosystem-based harvesting of seafood.