Deep REef restoration And litter removal in the Mediterranean sea

Introduction

The EU's biodiversity strategy for 2030 promotes the recovery of the biodiversity of European natural ecosystems through extending conservation networks, preventing and reducing anthropic impacts, and restoring the degraded natural heritage.

Importance of Marine Deep Reefs

Marine Deep Reefs (DR) are ecologically relevant benthic habitats acting as CO2 sinks and attracting a highly diverse associated fauna. The multiple pressures DR are currently facing, such as climate change, fishery, and littering, make the need to protect and restore these habitats more urgent.

Impact of Marine Litter

Marine Litter (ML) can affect the health status of DR, leading to the loss of associated ecological functions.

Project Goals

Through an innovative, sustainable approach, the LIFE DREAM Project aims at:

1. Mitigating the anthropic pressure on deep sensitive habitats (DR).
2. Promoting their protection, recovery, and preservation.

Project Activities

LIFE DREAM will comprise:

• Active intervention to aid the regeneration of DR.
• Providing supporting information to extend the Natura 2000 network to the deep-sea by integrating biological data on DR and ecosystems services they supply with spatial data on human activities.

Active restoration will include the deployment of artificial structures as substrates for DR forming-species growth, while passive restoration activities will focus on ML removal in correspondence with DR.

Stakeholder Involvement

The involvement of fishers and stakeholders within LIFE DREAM activities intends to enhance the impact of the project and boost social behavior change.

Circular Economy Principles

Following the principles of the circular economy, among the ambitions of the Project is pairing the recovery with recycling of materials at the end of their lifecycle. This includes converting the recovered ML into 2nd generation fuel that will reduce CO2 emissions.

Expected Outcomes

The results of LIFE DREAM would represent the baseline to extend the Natura 2000 network to the deep Mediterranean Sea and to restore deep sensitive habitats by providing best practices for DR restoration and the related costs and benefits.