PERSEUS
Policy-orientated marine Environmental Research for the Southern European Seas
By using Europe's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) as a foundation, PERSEUS
is developing and initiating a marine research governance framework that unites scientific
research with policy development. PERSEUS has introduced a collaborative framework
involving scientists, policymakers and the wide public, to share knowledge and promote
collective decision-making. PERSEUS is also inherently relevant to other EU and national
policies and actions in both Mediterranean and Black Seas. |
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In the last years, PERSEUS has gained significant
new knowledge on the current environmental
and socio-economic situation. First it identified
lack of data, lack of time-series, and poorly
described processes in the Southern European
Seas (SES). It defined the sampling strategy
to address these gaps in data and knowledge.
It realised 22 integrated, multi-disciplinary
experiments in the open sea and coastal areas
and worked on the assessment of the cost of
degradation on ecosystem goods and services
(e.g. fisheries and aquaculture, maritime transport,
tourism, hydrocarbon extraction desalinization
etc.). Another key result is the creation of | a complete inventory of the observing systems
in the SES which identified gaps in coverage
(geographic and temporal), in types of observations.
This will lead to an overall strategy
for the observing systems to be used for MSFD
monitoring. PERSEUS started the upgrading of
12 fixed stations with new biogeochemical &
acoustic sensors, supported the launching of
14 Argo floats and proposed new technologies
to be used (gliders, VMS and CPR-MED), through
cross border, cooperative 'projects'. Numerical
E2E 'Ecosystem/End-to-End' perspective models
were established and implemented in the SES
regional basins, various data were collected. |
A critical review of the Initial Assessments has
led to the identification of the approaches and
assessment elements used in the EU countries.
PERSEUS also adopted a gap scoring system
quantifying the main types of gaps and indicating
related scientific priorities. The project setup
5 stakeholder platforms, one for each regional
Pilot Case, that have actively engaged almost
100 policymakers ensuring that the adaptive
policy framework is developed in response to
specific needs. The scientific and operational
needs of a new vessel have been identified
through a participatory approach involving the
consortium and relevant stakeholders while
the preliminary design of the vessel has been
defined. Two citizen-science campaigns were
developed: the Jellyfish spotting campaign (as
a joint action with other research projects) and
the Marine LitterWatch campaign, enhancing the
initiative of the European Environment Agency. |
PERSEUS reviewed the current knowledge
on the ecological status of the SES along
with socio-economic analysis of the related
human activities. The results were combined in
a unique Umbrella Workshop based on regional
approaches. An overall report identifying pressures
and their impacts on marine and coastal
ecosystems in the SESs has been produced
while the most relevant gaps in knowledge and
data towards achieving GES were identified
and prioritized. Filling these gaps has started
through multi-disciplinary experiments, in-situ
monitoring, remote sensing observing systems
and the use of E2E models. A methodology for
assessing anthropogenic pressure indicators
using Remote Sensing and models is developed.
Consistent economic and social analysis of the
use of the SES waters and an assessment of
the cost of degradation has been performed
as a first step towards the development of the
Adaptive Policy Framework. |
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