The LIFE SeagrassRIAwild project, coordinated by CESAM/UA, has been honoured with the “Research” Award at the 1st Blue Carbon Chair Awards, an initiative jointly organised by the University of Murcia and the environmental consultancy Green CO2.
João Pedro Coelho, project coordinator and researcher at CESAM/DBIO, represented the project consortium at the award ceremony held on 24 June in Murcia, Spain.
This distinction recognises the project’s outstanding contribution to advancing scientific knowledge, promoting ecological restoration, and raising international awareness of the value of blue carbon. The evaluation panel commended the project’s key role in enhancing the scientific, institutional, and public visibility of seagrass ecosystems, which serve as strategic natural carbon sinks.
Particularly praised were the innovative restoration efforts undertaken in the Ria de Aveiro, which, combined with rigorous applied research methodologies, enabled LIFE SeagrassRIAwild to successfully integrate science, conservation, and communication into a model that is both exemplary and replicable across Europe.
Furthermore, the project’s international scope has significantly contributed to the global promotion of the blue carbon concept, fostering collaboration between public authorities, research institutions, and conservation organisations from several countries.
(Image: group photo of the awardees and prize promoters; researcher João Pedro Coelho is the fifth from the left, wearing a grey blazer.)