REDRESS- Restoration of deep-sea habitats to rebuild European Seas

CESAM Responsible researcher

Ana Margarida Medrôa de Matos Hilário

Programme

Horizon Europe – IA – CL6-2023-BIODIV-01

Dates

01/02/2024 - 31/01/2028

Funding for CESAM

409962,50 €

Total Funding

8829382 €

Funding Entity

European Comission

Proponent Institution

UNIVERSITA POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHE (IT)

Participating Institutions

  • UNIVERSIDADE DE AVEIRO(PT)
  • CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS – EDITORIAL (ES)
  • CONSIGLIO NAZIONALE DELLE RICERCHE (IT)
  • DEEP-SEA BIOLOGY SOCIETY (UK)
  • DEESS (FR)
  • ECOREACH SRL (IT)
  • ENGITEC SYSTEMS INTERNATIONAL LIMITED (CY)
  • EUROPEAN CHAPTER OF THE SOCIETY FOR ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION SER INTERNATIONAL (BE)
  • GEOMAR HELMHOLTZ-ZENTRUM FÜR OZEANFORSCHUNG KIEL (DE)
  • GOETEBORGS UNIVERSITET (SE)
  • HAFRANNSOKNASTOFNUN, RANNSOKNA- OG RADGJAFARSTOFNUN HAFS OG VATNA (IS)
  • HELLENIC CENTRE FOR MARINE RESEARCH (GR)
  • IFREMER - INSTITUT FRANÇAIS DE RECHERCHE POUR L'ESPLOITATION DE LA MER (FR)
  • IMAR - INSTITUTO DO MAR (PT)
  • ISRAEL OCEANOGRAPHIC AND LIMNOLOGICAL (IL)
  • NATIONAL OCEANOGRAPHY CENTRE (UK)
  • NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND (GALWAY) (IE)
  • PLYMOUTH MARINE LABORATORY LIMITED (UK)
  • SORBONNE UNIVERSITE (FR)
  • STAZIONE ZOOLOGICA ANTON DOHRN (IT)
  • STICHTING NEDERLANDSE WETENSCHAPPELIJK ONDERZOEK INSTITUTEN (NIKHEF) (NL)
  • UNIVERSIDADE DOS AÇORES (PT)
  • UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (GB)
  • UNIVERSITY OF HAIFA (IL)
  • WAGENINGEN UNIVERSITY/ WU HOLDING BV (NL)
  • UNIVERSITA POLITECNICA DELLE MARCHE (IT)

URL / WWW

https://redress-project.eu/

REDRESS aims to provide a key contribution to the EU commitments towards restoring degraded ecosystems, especially in the deep sea. REDRESS will provide solutions to prioritize future restoration actions, extend deep-sea restoration to previously neglected habitat types, and demonstrate the feasibility, potential, and value for success of deep-sea ecosystem restoration. The project will focus on habitats that have great potential to contribute to carbon sequestration and climate mitigation but have been degraded by deep-sea fishing, especially trawling. Specifically, we will study vulnerable marine ecosystems, including sea pens and bamboo corals on soft sediments, coral gardens, cold-water coral reefs, sponge fields, and cold seeps. REDRESS will map degraded deep-sea habitats and identify habitat refugia to prioritize restoration efforts that will adapt to future scenarios of climate change. To adopt and adapt cutting-edge solutions for both restoration interventions and monitoring, REDRESS will make a significant technological investment and will benefit from a relevant ship time by in-kind contribution (136 days). REDRESS will offer nature-based solutions to public authorities and operators to advance ecosystem restoration in the deep sea. Building on the MERCES experience, REDRESS will go beyond the state of art, either developing new methodologies, using sophisticated technologies, defining success indicators, and expanding the target habitats also to cold seeps. The results will enable a significant advancement in the EU’s marine restoration strategy. The project will also provide socio-economic data, protocols, and tools to plan, and upscale restoration interventions in deep-sea habitats. REDRESS will provide novel insights into the advantages and limits of active vs passive deep-sea restoration, and related cost-benefit analysis in different deep-sea habitats supporting policies and decision makers in the future application of the Nature Restoration Law.

CESAM members in the project

Ana Isabel Lillebo Batista

Investigadora Principal com Agregação

Helena Margarida Moreira de Oliveira Vieira

Investigadora Coordenadora e ERA CHAIR Holder

Peter Cornelis Roebeling

Investigador Auxiliar