Advancing marine conservation in European and contiguous seas with the MarCons Action
Abstract
Cumulative human impacts have led to the degradation of marine ecosystems and the
decline of biodiversity in the European and contiguous seas. Effective conservation
measures are urgently needed to reverse these trends. Conservation must entail societal
choices, underpinned by human values and worldviews that differ between the countries
bordering these seas. Social, economic and political heterogeneity adds to the challenge of
balancing conservation with sustainable use of the seas. Comprehensive macro-regional
coordination is needed to ensure effective conservation of marine ecosystems and
biodiversity of this region. Under the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme,
the MarCons COST action aims to promote collaborative research to support marine
management, conservation planning and policy development. This will be achieved by
developing novel methods and tools to close knowledge gaps and advance marine
conservation science. This action will provide support for the development of macro-
regional and national policies through six key actions: to develop tools to analyse
cumulative human impacts; to identify critical scientific and technical gaps in conservation
efforts; to improve the resilience of the marine environment to global change and biological
invasions; to develop frameworks for integrated conservation planning across terrestrial,
freshwater, and marine environments; to coordinate marine conservation policy across
national boundaries; and to identify effective governance approaches for marine protected
area management. Achieving the objectives of these actions will facilitate the integration of
marine conservation policy into macro-regional maritime spatial planning agendas for the
European and contiguous seas, thereby offsetting the loss of biodiversity and ecosystem
services in this region.
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