Improving Marine Habitat StatusS By Considering Ecosystem Dynamics

The vast majority of marine habitats and species protected under the EU Habitats Directive still show an unfavourable conservation status. This situation is particularly pressing in Northern Europe, where the conservation status of marine habitats in the Kattegat-Skagerrak region is consistently bad. MARHAB’s objective is to improve the conservation status of marine ecosystems by demonstrating an ecosystem dynamics approach to restoration and maintenance of protected habitats. By employing cutting edge technology (genomics, tracking, in situ observations, machine learning) in state-of-art ecosystem research, the project will provide the scientific underpinnings needed to bring about the long overdue reconciliation of fisheries management with biodiversity conservation. Moreover, it will generate a leap in knowledge urgently needed to sustainably manage the productive but severely overexploited ecosystems harboured in the Kattegat-Skagerrak Seas and adjoining coastal waters. MARHAB is urgent, timely and innovative. Urgent, because key habitats and species are in the worst environmental status of the European waters, while European citizens rely on a healthy ocean for climate resilience, and marine resources support livelihoods and food security. Timely, because international agreements such as the 2030 European Biodiversity strategy and the Global Biodiversity Framework (COP15) committed parties to reach important conservation targets in less than 7 years from now, including effectively protecting 30% of the ocean, and 10% with strict protection (in EU). And innovative, because this is a highly understudied region in what concerns marine protection effectiveness. MARHAB engages with the full range of relevant stakeholders at local, regional, national, international, EU and global level. Through a communication strategy tailored to target audiences, MARHAB will contribute to increasing the public and politicians’ understanding of marine biodiversity conservation.