FutureMARES Project

FutureMARES is a research project funded by H2020 programme, and coordinated by Prof. Peck at the University of Hamburg. The Future Oceans Lab participates by leading the climate change adaptation and vulnerability of socio-ecological systems (WP5).  A range of climate vulnerability assessments will be coordinated and developed across Europe, Chile and the Caribbean, order to identify most at-risk marine ecosystem services and dependent livelihoods. Ranking socio-ecological vulnerability to climate change is the key to effectively target adaptation towards vulnerable habitats, services and communities of people.

FutureMARES stands for Climate Change and Future Marine Ecosystem Services and Biodiversity. The overall goal of FutureMARES is to provide socially and economically viable actions, strategies and nature-based solutions (NBS) for climate adaptation and mitigation to safeguard future biodiversity, and ecosystem functions, maximising natural capital and its delivery of services from marine and transitional ecosystems.

These physical, ecological, social and economic analyses will be integrated to develop three, climate-ready NBS:

• restoration of habitat-forming species acting as ‘climate rescuers’ buffering coastal habitats from negative CC effects, improving seawater quality, and sequestering carbon;
• conservation actions explicitly considering the range of impacts of CC and other hazards on habitat suitability for biota to preserve the integrity of foodwebs (e.g. marine protected areas) and protect endangered species (e.g. charismatic megafauna);
• sustainable and ecosystem-based harvesting (capture and culture) of seafood.

As a result, FutureMARES will improve our understanding of the inter-relations between climate change impacts and ecosystems health, to inform in how NBS can increase the adaptation and mitigation potential of marine and transitional ecosystems. The project will strongly contribute to upcoming national, EU-and global level reports, policies and interventions.

You find all the information related to FutureMARES on its oficial web page too, click here