Integrated and coordinated approaches for coral reefs and associated ecosystems (mangroves and seagrass beds) conservation, restoration, and climate mitigation and adaptation

In line with the EU biodiversity strategy for 2030, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework and the EU climate adaptation strategy, successful proposals will contribute to the impacts of this Destination, notably to protect healthy ecosystems and to restore degraded ones ensuring the provision of ecosystem services, including for adaptation and/or mitigation to climate change. The research will contribute to the objectives of the European Climate Law, which requires Member States to promote nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation.

Project results are expected to contribute to all of the following expected outcomes:

• increased protection, restoration, and resilience of coral reefs and associated ecosystems in both protected and non-protected areas, acknowledging the objectives of the EU Nature Restoration Regulation, the climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies;
• effective management and land-sea planning of those associated ecosystems are based on approaches considering them together and integrating field experience with state-of-the-art and indigenous populations & local communities (IPLC) knowledge into hands-on guidelines;
• international initiatives are supported in the effort to coordinate and reduce the fragmentation of the current landscape of interventions and resources for the conservation and management of these ecosystems. The capacity for a durable intervention is built in outermost regions, overseas countries and territories of the EU and in third countries, in particular Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States.

Coral reefs and seagrass beds represent about less than 1% of the ocean’s surface and mangrove cover about 1%. They are home to at least 25% of known marine species and supporting up to 40% of fish species of the global ocean through food webs and nutrients cycles. About half of the coral reef ecosystems have disappeared since the 1950’s, 29% of the known areal extent of seagrass has disappeared since the initial records from 1879 and about 35% of the original mangrove area was lost by the end of the 20th century, as consequences of direct drivers at play for the past decades (pollution, extraction, overfishing, harmful fishing practices, coastal development, deforestation), invasive alien species and now additionally from increasing climate change impacts (rising sea surface temperature, marine heatwaves, sea level rise, deoxygenation, acidification, etc.). Providing multiple ecosystems services and benefits for people, research, conservation and management efforts have increased in the recent years but often targeted these systems individually, with various duration and focus and long-term observation and management.

Where they co-occur, coral reefs (including mesophotic extensions), mangroves and seagrass beds share tight ecological connections. Recent observations during coral bleaching events suggest that jointly protecting mangroves, seagrasses, and reefs may synergistically increase the success and benefits of conservation due to positive feedback at habitat boundaries. However, an integrated land-sea planning and management remain challenging because of knowledge gaps in their functional ecology and connectivity, in the spatial extents of their interactions, their seasonal patterns, the socio-political decision-making contexts for local / national planning at sea or on land, and the scarce access to knowledge, experience and to spatial data. Most of past and ongoing interventions are isolated from one another, displaying a fragmented landscape in terms of approaches, of targets, of resources and by limited recognition and inclusion of IPLCs traditional stewardships of these coastal ecosystems. Based on IUCN protected area dataset, only 18% of coastline where mangroves, seagrasses, and reefs interact are protected. Nevertheless, these data set underrepresents areas managed by IPLCs, which manage or have tenure rights over at least ~38 million terrestrial km2 worldwide.

In particular, proposals should:

• where shallow coral reefs (including mesophotic extensions), mangroves, and seagrasses coexist and interact: provide an improved understanding of the functional ecology, their species assemblages' and communities, their connectivity through life cycle stages and food webs structures and complexity in the healthy functioning and co-evolutionary processes of these ecosystems and in the biogeochemistry of sediments and their impact on climate change mitigation and adaptation, in order to design and inform effective management and restoration measures;
• look particularly at functional groups in maintaining the health, as well as the potential of adaptation to changes of corals assemblage, mangrove and sea grass beds, in particular top predators, reef sharks and species controlling algae proliferation and possible IAS and climate change. Proposals may also look at the role of the microbiome, periphyton or symbionts associated to shallow and mesophotic corals ecosystems healthy functioning;
• better understand the consequences of loss of coral reefs (including mesophotic extensions) and associated ecosystems, both in terms of coverage and diversity, on food web locally and cascading on distant communities and of socioeconomic impacts;
• combine different scientific disciplines, and where relevant, possible active restoration measures (coral cuttings or larval propagation on the reef or artificial structures, fishing management, acoustic assisted fish recruitment in restored areas, etc.), for developing approaches for their effective management and restoration, based on functional targets, (departing from usual approach focusing on a single species and coral cover or biomass), so as to support coral reefs and associated ecosystems, mangroves & seagrass beds complexity and connectivity as best asset for their (climate) resilience, co-evolutionary processes and adaptation potentials;
• jointly develop management and restoration guidelines with IPLCs knowledge, state of the art science and integrating lessons learnt and legacy from past and ongoing relevant initiatives from research to aid projects at regional, national, EU (such as the FPI Governance MPA Atlantic & Southeast Asia or the BEST initiative - Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in Territories of European overseas) or international levels and consolidate a community of practice in socio-ecological management in networks of protected area managers and locally managed marine areas;
• guidelines should also be going beyond local objectives, considering the trophic and life traits connectivity and with special attention to future climate and abiotic conditions;
• contribute to the coordination and capacity building activities of relevant international initiatives and frameworks, in the design and dissemination of actionable knowledge and guidelines to relevant stakeholders; develop training materials, capacity building and empowerment tools, the access to data and scientific expertise to local actors for ecosystems description and the development of ad hoc localised management measures;
• develop or integrate means and methods (such as sensors, in situ observation devices, remote sensing products developments, citizen science data, etc.) for a cost effective, accessible and lasting monitoring of these functionally associated ecosystems in order to inform on their status, on the effect of measures and to identify necessary management adjustments to changes;
• support natural capital valuation for cost/benefit analysis of measures of conservation and restoration for coral reefs and associated ecosystems and the services and benefits they provide (food, cultural & social values, nature-based solutions for coastal resilience, protection against extreme events, climate adaptation, etc.) and how they affect fishing, shipping, local tourism or other programmes for sustainability, such as offshore wind.

Proposals should envisage clustering activities with projects funded under this topic as well as with other relevant international or Horizon Europe and Horizon 2020 projects working on links between marine biodiversity, functional ecology, ecosystem services, socio-ecological management, cumulated impact of multiple stressors and on observation, mapping, and monitoring for application to the protection and restoration targets. To this end, proposals should foresee dedicated tasks and appropriate resources for coordination measures, joint activities, and deliverables.

Proposals should ensure adequate involvement of researchers, Local Communities and Indigenous People, end-users, MPA managers or governance levels relevant to inform, support and implement measures, actors contributing to practical and ready to use knowledge, tools and freely accessible dissemination and capacity building channels.

Proposals should foresee cooperation with the EC Knowledge Centre for Biodiversity and the Science Service project BioAgora. Proposals should also show how the planned activities could provide timely information for consideration by the Intergovernmental science-policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) and in particular the IPBES assessment on integrated biodiversity-inclusive spatial planning and ecological connectivity expected to be delivered in late 2027.

This topic requires the effective contribution of SSH disciplines and involvement of SSH experts. International cooperation is encouraged.