Periodic Reporting for period 1 - TRANSEATION (Advancing Ecosystem-Based Management through Hybrid Blue-Grey Infrastructures in Marine and Coastal Areas)
Berichtszeitraum: 2024-01-01 bis 2025-06-30
TRANSEATION main objective is to demonstrate the effectiveness of marine and coastal hybrid blue-grey infrastructures and validate a new level of ecosystem-based management combining nature-based solutions, social implication digitalization to the protection and restoration of marine ecosystem health and services.
To achieve this main objective, the project has five core objectives:
- Specific objective 1. Apply EBM through a system approach to integrate hybrid NbS in marine and coastal infrastructures to support the preservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services simultaneously with addressing multiple societal challenges (environmental, social and economic benefits).
- Specific objective 2. Demonstrate the effectiveness of [3] type of coastal and marine infrastructures as hybrid NbS both to preserve ecosystems and support their restoration considering its replicability and scaled-up.
- Specific objective 3. To identify limiting factors, gaps and current issues of existing LEED initiative regarding building , setting up links with previous projects.
- Specific objective 4. To analyse the benefits and potential trade-off of these hybrid solutions on short and longterm for marine biodiversity and ecosystem services protection and restoration.
- Specific objective 5. Digital solutions for monitoring, analysis and social involvement of marine and coastal infrastructures.
To achieve this main objective, the project has five core objectives:
- Specific objective 1. Apply EBM through a system approach to integrate hybrid NbS in marine and coastal infrastructures to support the preservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and ecosystem services simultaneously with addressing multiple societal challenges (environmental, social and economic benefits).
- Specific objective 2. Demonstrate the effectiveness of [3] type of coastal and marine infrastructures as hybrid NbS both to preserve ecosystems and support their restoration considering its replicability and scaled-up.
- Specific objective 3. To identify limiting factors, gaps and current issues of existing LEED initiative regarding building , setting up links with previous projects.
- Specific objective 4. To analyse the benefits and potential trade-off of these hybrid solutions on short and longterm for marine biodiversity and ecosystem services protection and restoration.
- Specific objective 5. Digital solutions for monitoring, analysis and social involvement of marine and coastal infrastructures.
The development of the project is structured around three main blocks:
• Block A focuses on EBM through the implementation of hybrid-grey infrastructures as nature-based solutions. This involves the design, deployment and validation of marine infrastructures as NbS, framed within an EBM approach for their management.
• Block B is dedicated to monitoring and assessment. This includes in-situ monitoring of each demonstrator site, as well as the development of an innovative digital solution for environmental monitoring and data dissemination.
• Block C address social involvement and standardization. This involves co-creation processes with local stakeholders, public engagement strategies, and the development of blueprints for replicable rating system to facilitate further uptake.
Over the first 18 months of implementation, TRANSEATION has progressed mainly in line. Work has focused on the identification and planning of the demonstrator sites, stakeholder engagement, development of monitoring protocols, and the first phase of digital infrastructure development. At the same time, frameworks for evidence-based evaluation, ecosystem-based management (EBM), and replicability (blue building rating system) have begun to take shape.
• Block A focuses on EBM through the implementation of hybrid-grey infrastructures as nature-based solutions. This involves the design, deployment and validation of marine infrastructures as NbS, framed within an EBM approach for their management.
• Block B is dedicated to monitoring and assessment. This includes in-situ monitoring of each demonstrator site, as well as the development of an innovative digital solution for environmental monitoring and data dissemination.
• Block C address social involvement and standardization. This involves co-creation processes with local stakeholders, public engagement strategies, and the development of blueprints for replicable rating system to facilitate further uptake.
Over the first 18 months of implementation, TRANSEATION has progressed mainly in line. Work has focused on the identification and planning of the demonstrator sites, stakeholder engagement, development of monitoring protocols, and the first phase of digital infrastructure development. At the same time, frameworks for evidence-based evaluation, ecosystem-based management (EBM), and replicability (blue building rating system) have begun to take shape.
Scientific advances have been achieved through the co-design of system-based methodologies that integrate ecological, hydrodynamic, and structural parameters for the implementation and evaluation of NbS. A significant effort has been made to combine fieldwork, stakeholder insights, and literature analysis to derive functional criteria and performance indicators aligned with EU Taxonomy and environmental policy objectives. Tools and methods developed within the project have supported the retrospective and prospective assessment of NbS effectiveness, including the application of the Systems Approach Framework, risk assessment methodologies, and baseline monitoring strategies across four real-world demonstrators. The generation of ecological and physical datasets, along with the implementation of digital environments including 3D digital twins, has allowed the incorporation of in-situ sensor data and Earth Observation sources into interoperable simulation models. This contributes to a deeper understanding of how hybrid infrastructures interact with coastal processes, ecosystem functions, and human uses under dynamic environmental scenarios