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CESAM sought to learn more about the LIFE SeagrassRIAwild project, coordinated by researcher Pedro Coelho.

In an exclusive interview, the motivations behind the conception of the project, its potential impact on the preservation of seagrass meadows in the Ria de Aveiro, and the vision for the next seven years were discussed.

Follow this interview and learn more about this project.

CESAM: What were the reasons and inspiration behind the creation of the proposal that led to the LIFE SeagrassRIAwild project?

Pedro Coelho: The LIFE SeagrassRIAwild proposal follows several years of the team’s work in this field (namely the projects RemediGrass, ReMoliço BioPradaRia, and C-Grass), addressing various aspects related to the ecology, restoration of seagrass meadows, and their use as a nature-based solution in ecosystem rehabilitation, with a focus on the dominant species in the Ria de Aveiro, Zostera noltei. In parallel, small patches of Zostera marina were recently identified in the Mira branch, after decades in which this species was not observed in the system. The presence of Zostera marina suggests that the current environmental conditions in the Ria de Aveiro are conducive to its restoration, justifying an initial project (FITA) with the aim of triggering actions for its protection and recovery.

Simultaneously, the importance of ecological restoration of ecosystems has gained prominence internationally, both at the European level (The European Green Deal, the Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, and the climate change adaptation strategy, as well as the future European Ecological Restoration Law) and globally (The United Nations Decade on Ecosystem Restoration), resulting in more funding opportunities. Taking into account the current political receptivity, the natural resurgence of the species in the system, and its historical and ecological importance to the Ria de Aveiro, we considered that this was the right time to advance with a large-scale restoration project in the system.

CESAM: What is the magnitude of the contribution you expect this project to have on the recovery and conservation of seagrass meadows in the Ria de Aveiro?

Pedro Coelho: The LIFE SeagrassRIAwild project proposes a paradigm shift for the ecological restoration of seagrass meadows, not only in the Ria de Aveiro but globally, by using the mariculture concept (cultivation in controlled conditions, in former salt pans of the University of Aveiro that will be converted for this purpose). This will serve as a source of biomass and seeds necessary for the implementation of large-scale recolonization programs, without causing impacts on donor plains.

We will promote the involvement of the academic community, local authorities, national environmental agencies, NGOs, user associations, and citizens in the co-creation and implementation of restoration solutions and actions to increase acceptance, involvement, and investment from all local actors in the project. The goal is for the recovery process of seagrass meadows in the Ria de Aveiro to be not just a scientific project of the academy but a project and movement for the entire region, with a significant citizen science foundation.

Finally, the project aims to contribute not only to the ecological restoration of seagrass meadows but potentially to put these communities at the service of the population by exploring innovative nature-based solutions for managing navigability of access channels to docks and marinas that, if effective, have the potential to integrate routine processes of ports, marinas, and management authorities and potentially minimize the dredging needs currently observed.

CESAM: Seven years from now, what scenario do you expect to have achieved as a result of this project, in terms of impact and changes in seagrass meadow areas?

Pedro Coelho: The objectives we set are ambitious but based on the quality and experience of the consortium. We estimate being able to colonize an area of 12 hectares with Zostera marina, divided into 8 hectares inside the salt pans and 4 hectares in various channels of the Ria. The goal will be to expand these areas after the 7 years of the project based on the project’s legacy, including the mariculture infrastructure and the established volunteer network.

Simultaneously, we estimate a positive impact of the project’s actions on various levels. Firstly, on local biodiversity, with a special focus on threatened species such as seahorses or eels, closely associated with seagrass meadows. On the other hand, considering the relevant role of seagrass meadows in carbon sequestration, we estimate that the transplanted area could fix up to about 30 tons of CO₂ per year, a significant contribution to reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Finally, we anticipate that the presence of green corridors of seagrasses along the edges of navigation channels will serve as a particle filter and reduce sedimentation rates in these channels, minimizing the need for dredging and associated negative effects.

CESAM: Thank you very much for your participation in this interview and for sharing these insights about LIFE SeagrassRIAwild. We hope, in the future, to share some initiatives and results within the scope of this project.

After the ‘Remedies from the Sea’ event, Bruno Nunes, a researcher from CESAM/DBio, shared the results of his research on Rádio Regional do Centro, addressing various essential issues related to the environmental impact of medications. Throughout the interview, he delved into topics such as the entry of medications into the environment, the effectiveness of waste treatment systems, the environmental safety of daily medications, the necessary precautions with unused medications at home, and the options available to citizens wishing to contribute to environmental preservation.

The interview provides an enlightening and practical insight into how each individual can play an active role in environmental protection.

Listen to the complete interview here.

Dário Hipólito, a PhD student from CESAM, is dedicated to studying wolves in the Iberian Peninsula and Croatia. His work aims to promote harmonious coexistence between humans and wolves in both locations.

On “The Wolf Connection” podcast, Dario shared his journey in researching wolves in Europe, emphasizing how he engages rural communities in discussions about coexistence with these animals and discussing the specific challenges faced by wolves in Portugal.

Listen to the full episode here.

The FCT Tenure Program aims to hire researchers currently on fixed-term contracts, contributing to reducing job precarity. As of November 15, CESAM has 118 researchers as Integrated Members, who are currently on fixed-term contracts (CEEC, IF, NT, projects) or hold post-doctoral fellowships.

As part of engaging the CESAM community in defining the strategy for the FCT Tenure application, a well-attended meeting took place yesterday. The purpose was to clarify the scope and details of the application, as well as gather opinions on the choices and priorities CESAM should adopt in this program. During this meeting, the results of an internal survey conducted with all Integrated Members of CESAM were presented. The survey sought preferences regarding three possible scenarios concerning the degree of commitment of CESAM’s future budget to co-finance hirings through the FCT Tenure. A total of 145 integrated members participated in the survey, representing a participation rate of 66%.

Yesterday, on November 27, the delegation from the Luso-American Foundation for Development (FLAD) visited CESAM-ECOMARE for the presentation of the progress of the activities of the UNTIE project – UNravelling the role of emerging parasitic diseases in the structure and function of coastal communiTIEs and ecosystems, coordinated by Dr. Luísa Magalhães, winner of the Science Award Atlantic 2022.

The visit had the presence of Prof. Elsa Henriques (Executive Board of FLAD) and members of the award jury, particularly Prof. Miguel Miranda. Institutional support was provided by Prof. Artur Silva (Vice-Rector of UA), Dr. Ricardo Calado (Director of CEPAM-ECOMARE), and Prof. Amadeu Soares (Coordinator of CESAM), among other members of our academic community.

Learn more about this project here: UNTIE – UNravelling the role of emerging parasitic diseases in the structure and function of coastal communiTIEs and ecosystems (ua.pt)

José Alves, researcher at CESAM/DBio, was invited by the European Commission to participate in the workshop titled “Digitalising monitoring of the East Atlantic Flyway.” The event was organized by the TSI (Technical Support Instrument) of the Directorate General for Structural Reform Support (DG REFORM), in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture, Nature, and Quality of Food of the Netherlands, as well as the partner ministries of Germany and Denmark.

On November 21, the researcher delivered a lecture on the topic “From individual tracking to population connectivity: assessing site use at flyway scale.”

The researchers from CESAM/DBIO, Ana Hilário and Patrícia Esquete, in collaboration with members of the global expert network DOSI (Deep Ocean Stewardship Initiative), have developed a new policy brief. This document will be presented during the 2023 United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP28, which is set to begin next week in Dubai.

The document, titled “Incorporating Deep-Ocean Biodiversity into Climate Change Policy“, highlights the importance of deep-ocean biodiversity for climate stability, emphasizing the negative impacts of human interference in these ecosystems. It advocates for the importance of integrating the protection of deep-ocean biodiversity into the policies of the UNFCCC (United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change).

DOSI is a global network that brings together experts in the fields of science, technology, policy, law, and economics, providing advice on ecosystem-based management in the deep ocean and strategies to preserve the integrity of these ecosystems within and beyond national borders.

COP28 is scheduled for November 30 to December 12 in the United Arab Emirates. These conferences primarily aim to negotiate policies among governments to limit the increase in global temperature and adapt to the impacts associated with climate change. COP28 will be a crucial moment to assess global progress under the Paris Agreement, mobilizing collective action to limit the increase in global temperature and adapt to the existing effects of climate change.

Hugo Ferreira, a PhD student at CESAM, was the winner of the “Best Student Presentation” award at the XI Congress of Ornithology and II Macaronesian Ornithology Conference organized by SPEA – Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds, which took place from November 22 to 26 in Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, Azores.

The title of the winning presentation is “Presence and Function of Artificial Items in Eurasian Spoonbills Nests,” which is part of Hugo’s doctoral thesis on the theme: “Demographic processes of a long–distant migratory waterbird facing global changes.”

The University of Aveiro (UA) has three researchers whose scientific work is among the most cited in the world by other scientists. The guarantee comes from Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2023 list, one of the most important rankings in the academic world.

Armando da Costa Duarte and Teresa Rocha Santos, both researchers at the Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies (CESAM), and Jorge Alexandre Saraiva, from LAQV-REQUIMTE, are the three UA researchers included in Clarivate’s Highly Cited Researchers 2023, a list that analyzed the work of 7125 scientists from 69 countries.

Armando Duarte and Jorge Saraiva have been on the Clarivate list for three consecutive years. Teresa Rocha Santos repeats her presence from last year.

Created by Clarivate, a global research consultancy, the list of names comes from articles ranked in the top one percent of the most cited research articles by scientific area and year of publication in the Web of Science citation index, together with analyses carried out by bibliometric experts and data scientists from Clarivate’s Institute for Scientific Information (ISI).

This ranking aims to provide global data and segmented analyses, recognize and disseminate the impact of research, promote innovation and present a tool that allows scientists/researchers who have demonstrated influence through the publication of several highly cited articles over the last decade to be aggregated in an annual list.

Note: Text and image from the news on the UA website

With the aim of supporting EU-Caribbean cooperation in marine research, the European Commission organised the EU-Caribbean Workshop on Marine Science Cooperation, that took place on 14-15 November at the University of the West Indies (UWI), Barbados.

Ana Lillebø, Vice-Rector of the University of Aveiro and scientific coordinator of the A-AAGORA project, was invited by the European Commission to participate in this Workshop. Her presentation, entitled “Coastal Restoration with Nature and People: The Living Lab concept of the A-AAGORA project”, focused on potential collaborations between the two regions, to cocreate roadmaps and innovative solutions for coastal restoration, in line with the objectives of the Mission “Restore our Ocean and Waters” and the United Nations Decade of Oceans.

The event was opened by the Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology, Hon. Davidson I. Ishmael, and brought together multiple stakeholders to explore the potentialities, needs and gaps in marine research and cooperation for the Caribbean and Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

Discussions focused on critical issues such as coastal resilience, fisheries management, marine protected areas, ecosystems and biodiversity, ocean observation and research infrastructures.

A key aspect of the workshop was to promote and support a long-term sustainable bi-regional multi-stakeholder dialogue. To this end, opportunities for EU-Caribbean cooperation in marine research under the Horizon Europe (HE) programme were presented as well as projects and initiatives already under development.