Ensuring the sustainable management and conservation of marine biodiversity, in balance with economic and social development, has been recognized at the highest levels of the scientific and political agendas at national, European, and global scales. Representing 67% of the planet’s surface area, the deep sea is the vastest and yet, the most unexplored biome on Earth. It is increasingly recognised to play key roles in ecosystem functioning at the planetary scale. From recycling and storage of major nutrients, to provision of habitat and feeding grounds for commercially exploited species, to climate regulation and source of genetic and mineral resources, the deep sea encompasses a wealth of supporting, regulating, and provisioning ecosystems goods and services, and consequently of marine natural capital, in benefit of humankind.
In Portugal, the deep sea represents 98% of the country’s EEZ, covering an area of approximately 1.7 million km2. Despite its vast maritime area and culture, Portugal is a country where the deep sea remains largely unexplored, due to limited access to exploration and observation infrastructures and under-developed human capacity, compared to most other European counterparts. This gap limits the country's capacity to achieve positive and sustained long-term conservation of the biodiversity as well as the associated ecosystem functions, goods and services under its jurisdiction.
The overarching goal of TwinDEEPS is to increase the research capacity of CIIMAR in the Widening country of Portugal, in the field of deep-sea exploration and observation, by linking it with three centres of excellence in Norway (IMR), The Netherlands (NWO-I, NIOZ), and Germany (AWI). TwinDEEPS scientific strategy includes a comprehensive set of activities to achieve the following specific objectives:
● assess the national human and technological capacity for deep-sea exploration and observation, and establish a network of practitioners and annual forum, and build a roadmap for the future
● raise CIIMAR’s staff research profile and excellence, across all career levels, via networking, training and mentoring
● leverage CIIMAR’s international activities and participation in global networks of deep-sea research practitioners and UN Ocean Decade Programmes
● development of joint R&I activities through a research project, and maintenance of long-term national and international collaborations
● develop and implement an institutional framework in view of strengthening CIIMAR’s big data management capabilities
● promote and enhance public understanding of the ecological importance of deep-sea ecosystems
TwinDEEPS ultimately ambitions to train a new generation of highly skilled deep-sea researchers, and co-design a multidisciplinary deep-ocean observing strategy for Portugal, in line with European and global sustainable development objectives.
