FutureMARES is an EU-funded research project examining the relations between climate change, marine biodiversity and ecosystem services. Our activities are designed around three Nature-based Solutions (NBS):

Effective Restoration (NBS1)

Effective Conservation (NBS2)

Sustainable Harvesting of Marine Resources (NBS3)

SocioCoast Project: Enhancing the promotion of beaches and coastal areas and problem reporting through crowd sourcing activities.

ECCO Project: Researching the Effects of Climate Change and Ocean acidification on marine gastropods. ECCO Project will offer innovative scientific knowledge which can be used to put forward policies and regulations in order to achieve a better environmental management and protection of our oceans. The project aims to address the requests of policy stakeholders and decision makers to “minimize the impacts of ocean acidification through further research and enhanced scientific cooperation at all levels”.

RECONNECT develops strategies for sustainable management of MPAs and Natura 2000 sites. It promotes efficient management of natural systems, enhancing the competence of local management authorities. LifeWatch Greece is assisting the data management and analysis.

Funding: Interreg Balkan-Mediterranean

MEDCIS project is a follow-up of the previous two calls from DG Environment that dealt with Joint Monitoring proposals and assistance on the Member States to develop Action Plans for Integrated Monitoring Programmes, Programmes of Measures and Data Management, under the obligations of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).

The key objectives of this project are: 1) to facilitate and provide the methodological standards for the next phase of MSFD, towards coordinated approaches between MSs, by reviewing, comparing, selecting and adapting appropriate existing methodologies; 2) to focus on Mediterranean regional/subregional cooperation and standardisation, taking in consideration its specificities and therefore recommend suitable approaches for this region.

JERICO-NEXT aims at extending the EU network of coastal observations by adding new infrastructures while integrating biogeochemical and biological observations. The LifeWatch marine observatory and related data infrastructure supports JERICO-NEXT activities in the Southern Bight of the North Sea.

The EMODnet Biology data portal provides free access to temporal and spatial distribution data of marine species and species traits from all European regional seas. It is built upon WoRMS and EurOBIS, both components of the central Species Information Backbone.

EMBRC-ERIC: The European Marine Biological Resource Centre is an ERIC focused on marine biology and ecology, a driver for the development of blue biotechnologies, supporting sustainability research in food, health and environment. LifeWatch Belgium and LifeWatchGreece support the e-infrastructure working group. Funded by EMBRC-ERIC member states.

C3S European Fisheries: Copernicus Climate Change Marine, Coastal and Fisheries Sectoral Information System assists stakeholders to analyse climate change adaptation strategies on Coastal Eutrophication, Fisheries/Aquaculture, MSP, Natural Capital Accounting. LifeWatchGreece assists with data from case studies. Funding: ECMWF – The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts

SYNTHESYS+, synthesis of sistematic resources, brings together the European branches of the global natural science organisations (GBIF, TDWG, GGBN and CETAF) with an unprecedented number of collections, to integrate, innovate and internationalise our efforts. LifeWatchGreece is involved in WP7. Funding: EC, H2020