Project description
Observing a new way to explore marine biodiversity
The future of ocean health restoration may require increased biodiversity observation capabilities to support EU biodiversity directives and global initiatives. In this context, the EU-funded MARCO-BOLO project will reinforce European coastal and marine biodiversity observation capabilities. It will connect them to global efforts to understand and restore ocean health. The project will explore end user needs to optimise marine data flows and knowledge adoption and improve biodiversity observation-based governance. MARCO-BOLO will develop and demonstrate new autonomous technology for biodiversity mapping and monitoring, and data streams from remote sensing, eDNA, robotics, and optical and acoustic observations. It will then incorporate the sequence of processes into operational Essential Ocean Variables and Essential Biodiversity Variables, including them in online reusable workflows.
Objective
MARCO-BOLO (MBO) aims to structure and strengthen European coastal and marine biodiversity observation capabilities, linking them to global efforts to understand and restore ocean health, hence ensuring that outputs respond to explicit stakeholder needs from policy, planning and industry. To this end MBO will establish and engage with a Community of Practice (CoP) to determine end-user needs with the aim of optimising marine data flows, knowledge uptake, and improving governance based on biodiversity observations.
By exploiting synergies with concurrent projects MBO will develop and demonstrate new autonomous technology for biodiversity mapping and monitoring, and data streams from remote sensing, eDNA, robotics, optical and acoustic observations. Protocols for eDNA-based biodiversity observations are established and validated across applications, taxa and ecosystems. The sequence of the analytical and technical processes for the different use cases will be incorporated into operational Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) and Essential Biodiversity Variables (EBVs) and included into online reusable workflows, contributing to the free and open access of EU and global biodiversity information facilities, and to support major EU biodiversity directives and global initiatives.
The project partnership will leverage its international activities (MBON, GOOS, OBIS) and participation in UN Ocean Decade Programmes (Marine Life 2030, OBON, ODIS, Ocean Practices for the Decade) to align the MBO work programme to global CoP, ensuring European participation and leadership in global biodiversity monitoring and global science. MBO results will be designed to build upon existing capability and infrastructures, and to be relevant to existing frameworks so that outputs can be easily integrated into national, regional (EU and adjacent sea basins), and global observation systems, with no delay ensuring the reusability of the investments Europe is already making in data generation.
Fields of science
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesmarine biology
- social sciencessociologygovernance
- engineering and technologyenvironmental engineeringremote sensing
- natural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystems
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringrobotics
Programme(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-RIA - HORIZON Research and Innovation ActionsCoordinator
75005 Paris
France
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Participants (24)
8400 OOSTENDE
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
21502 Geesthacht
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41071 Sevilla
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60325 Frankfurt
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9019 Tromso
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75007 Paris
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405 30 Goeteborg
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024053 Bucharest
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41012 Sevilla
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41004 Sevilla
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050663 Bucuresti
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00185 Roma
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80121 Napoli
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2800 Kongens Lyngby
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65009 Odessa
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75794 Paris
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27570 Bremerhaven
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1000 Bruxelles / Brussel
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
4450 208 Matosinhos
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D08H67X Dublin
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
04318 Leipzig
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1010 Wien
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5838 Bergen
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75006 Paris
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Partners (3)
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
AB119DB Aberdeen
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Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
PL1 2PB Plymouth
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The organization defined itself as SME (small and medium-sized enterprise) at the time the Grant Agreement was signed.
Partner organisations contribute to the implementation of the action, but do not sign the Grant Agreement.
SO14 3ZH Southampton
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