As a follow up of the final conference of NetBiome-CSA a proposal for a pilot project was submitted by a group of MEPs. The attached document contains the description of this pilot project, designated “Mapping and assessing the state of ecosystems and their services in ORs and OCTs: establishing links and pooling resources”.
This two-year proposal, with a requested budget of 2M€, is well placed to start receiving funds in 2017. It is therefore time to prepare a consortium to run it. We envisage a mostly technical consortium of research groups and SMEs with experience in MAES and based on a OR or OCT. Expertise on the marine environment is particularly welcome. If you belong to such an entity, please send us a manifestation of interest by September 11th, detailing you expertise and what contribution you could bring to the consortium. You are also encouraged to pass this request along to other persons or groups you think may be interested.
Dear José:
I work at Instituto Español de Oceanografía, at Canary Islands Lab. We could be quite interested in this pilot project a priori. I also understand our experience could be valueable for the project development. Always focused within the marine environment, we have a broad experience with artisanal fisheries and marine protected areas (we were part of EMPAFISH project, for example). Related to ecosystem mapping and assessment, we have participated at INDEMARES project, dealing with benthic shelf, but specially open water sensitive habitats inventory and mapping. And, of course, we're working hard for Spanish Environmental Office within the Marine Strategy Framework Directive requirements (and I have a doubt about the way UE wants state members to deal with potential overlapping between MAES and MSFD). We are lately focusing on methodologies as DPSIR, Delphi Method and Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis to set up guidelines and recommendations for the development of the management and monitoring plans of Marine Protected Areas belonging to RN 2000. So, as you see, a bit of everything. Tell me if our help would be useful and our participation has sense. If you need it, we could also identify other Canary Islands actors that could complement our participation, always within the Marine Environment.
Hi, Pablo
One of the challenges we could tackle could be the marine one. My perception is that this is a difficult issue, requiring heavier logistics than the terrestrial habitats, were you can do a lot with satelite data. I know that in the Canaries you have done some work on relatively simple marine habitat mapping techniques (I recall work done in La Palma). That experience could be valuable if it was decided to go ahead with a simple but powerful marine habitat mapping project. Can you identify other actors that could work along these lines?
I understand, when you talk about La Palma, you are thinking about work done by Jacinto Barquín and Laura Martín, from University of La Laguna. This work is done with togged camera transects and habitat suitability models, between 0 and 100 m. The work I have carried out in my center at Conception Semaount and Amanay and El Banquete Seamounts is with the same technology, but at circalittoral and batial depths, which makes things harder and more expensive, definitely. Laura Martín has collaborated with us several times and I have the contact. Other actors I identify at Canaries that could help are CIMA Canarias, with a lot of experience at sampling infralittoral and transition areas at shore, and I could also contact people from Canary Islands Government Environment and Fisheries Offices, if it would be useful. About terrestial ecosystem mapping I have close contact with a couple of the University professors, if you need them. For example, José María Fernández Palacios, or several professors from the Botany Department.
Anyways, your words make me think you have doubts about including marine issues in the pilot project because of the heavier logistics (which it's true), so let me know if you finally think about including them or not and if so, if our participation owuld be useful.
Dear Azevedo. My name is Miguel Angelo Pinheiro de Carvalho, coordinating the Center of Genetic Resources, ISOPlexis Genebank, we are interest in the pilot project in the issue related with survey of agrodiversity and its in situ and ex situ conservation. If you think that we can had a positive input in consortium project, please add us to the team. Best regards Miguel Carvalho
Dear Miguel,
Does your center have any expertise with ecossistem assessment and mapping?