Twenty multinational projects will receive over €117 million to contribute to the objectives of the EU mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’: protect and restore biodiversity, cut pollution and support a sustainable blue economy.
According to the European Commission, the projects gather 297 partners from 39 countries, including most of the EU member states. The funding comes from Horizon Europe, the EU’s programme for research and innovation.
EU Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth Mariya Gabriel said: “More than 200 actions, from cities to regions, from universities to NGOs, from research institutes to foundations, have been pledged to contribute to the objectives of our mission, ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters’. Today, I renew our invitation to everyone to be part of the four lighthouse communities, across all EU seas, oceans and main river basins.”
Virginijus Sinkevičius, EU Commissioner for Environment, Oceans and Fisheries, added: “This mission is more than timely or relevant. This mission is urgent. Preserving and restoring the health of our ocean and waters is about preserving our life and all life on this planet. It is by joining our efforts that we will regenerate marine habitats, bring back fish populations, and make our blue economy more sustainable. Thanks to EU-funded projects, research, citizen activism and the growing number of organisations, we are on our way to achieving this critical mission.”
Among the projects, two will focus on improving the environmental status of marine ecosystems. Blue4All aims to achieve effective, efficient and resilient management of marine protected areas (MPAs) and networks of MPAs through targeted actions in 25 sites and living labs, while the Ocean Citizen project tests an advanced restoration programme based on strong ecological and societal interconnections.
Some projects address specific sea basins: In the Danube River basin, the Danube 4All project will test and demonstrate nature-based solutions to enhance the free-flowing status of rivers and floodplains, to reduce flood and drought risks and support the continuity of habitats. The Dalia projects will deliver a tool to support decision-making for freshwater ecosystem protection and ecosystem connectivity and improve the protection of local communities and ecosystems from extreme events and pollution threats in line with the implementation of the Water Framework Directive.
In the Atlantic and Arctic basin, the Climarest project develops nature-based restoration scenarios ranging from the high-Arctic Svalbard (79° N) in the north to the Madeira archipelago (33° N) in the south, and A-Aagora focuses on nature-based solutions to boost resilience to climate change and mitigate its impacts in coastal areas.
Meanwhile, the Olamur and Ultfarms projects will develop several pilots in the Baltic and North Sea to test solutions for low impact marine aquaculture and multi-purpose use of marine space.
The 20 projects were selected following a call for proposals launched in 2021. Those selected received the highest marks in a peer evaluation run by independent experts and have recently signed their grant agreements with the Commission and can therefore start their activities.
The Implementation Platform of the Mission will also start its work this month.
