ADVANCING AREA-BASED MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO ACCELERATE THE PROTECTION AND RESTORATION OF MARINE BIODIVERSITY ACROSS THE EUROPEAN SEA BASINS

Human activities and climate change are causing ecosystem degradation and biodiversity loss. Previous approaches, which focused on sector-based management in isolation and single spatial scales, have failed to halt biodiversity loss. The EU-funded BioProtect project aims to develop innovative ecosystem-based solutions for protecting and restoring biodiversity in European seas. It will use the ABM-DSF framework to engage stakeholders, monitor biodiversity changes, map human pressures, prioritise areas for protection and restoration, and measure ecological and socio-economic impacts. The project will demonstrate these solutions in five sites ranging from the Arctic to the Atlantic. It will consider ‘what-if’ scenarios, including climate change, protection strategies, and their impacts. The consortium possesses expertise in both the Atlantic and Arctic basins.