Cabo Verde is a country where “Blue Growth” can help to contribute with solutions for current issues, such as high poverty rates, while building on the long tradition of local economical use of the marine environment. However, no valuable baseline knowledge on the environmental status of their marine ecosystems is available, hampering the development of measures ensuring their sustainable use, management, conservation and restoration. Information on marine habitats is scarce and there is no integrated evaluation of marine resources to support knowledge-based regulations and guidelines for their sustainable use, in line with the national development trends. Santo Antão has the highest poverty rate of the Archipelago and income inequalities and is highly vulnerable to extreme natural phenomena.
The Conservation of marine ecosystems around Santo Antão, Cabo Verde: implications for policy and society (COAST) project will significantly contribute to understanding the status and functioning of the ocean system around Santo Antão island in Cabo Verde, as its contribution to the country’s economy. The project aims to achieve 5 main objectives: a) to characterize and map pelagic and benthic habitats, as well as anthropogenic pressures of Santo Antão, b) to estimate patterns of diversity in marine communities in relation to habitat features, c) to assess the vulnerability of the studied communities to both environmental and anthropogenic pressures, through the application of risk assessment models, d) to implement conservation and restoration actions for selected habitats/ecosystems based on the results of the first three objectives, e) to provide baseline data that inform policymakers, authorities, institutions and practitioners towards effective marine conservation and restoration in these habitats and demonstrate the repeatability of the proposed approach in other regions.
To achieve these goals, dedicated scientific surveys will be conducted to collect data from the marine ecosystems around Santo Antão under a transdisciplinary and integrated framework, with a specific focus on selected areas of interest. We will apply state-of-the-art technology, combining visual and acoustic observations with physical sampling, modelling and remote sensing.
COAST expects to improve current knowledge on marine habitats of Santo Antão island and to provide efficient management recommendations for their sustainable development, along with mitigation plans for the effects of global changes, in line with the needs of stakeholders and local communities.
- Name of organisation
- University of Aveiro (Portugal)
- Type of organisation
- Research and academia
- Type of action proposed
- Evidence-based knowledge and data and/or access provision to knowledge and data, in line with FAIR principles for the Mission Ocean and Waters Knowledge System
- The action contributes to the following objective or enabler
- Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversityMake the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circularOcean and waters knowledge systemPublic mobilisation and engagement
- List of Partners
CIIMAR P
ADPM P
AirCentre P
University of Azores P
University of Barcelona E
CSIC E
University of Brest F
Underwater Experience F
GEOMAR G
- Start date of the action
- End date of the action
- Budget allocated for the action
- 1000008
- Basin coverage
- Atlantic/Arctic coast
- Website link
- amaro@ua.pt
- Other country
- Cabo Verde