NORA moving forward: Developing an oyster restoration network in Europe to support the Berlin Oyster Recommendation

Bernadette Pogoda,Janet Brown,David Donnan,Boze Hancock,Bérenger Colsoul,Henning Von Nordheim,Cass Bromley,Philine S.E Zu Ermgassen,William G Sanderson,Kruno Bonacic,Pierre Boudry,Joanne Preston,Tristan Hugh‐Jones,Hein Sas,Tom C Cameron

doi:10.1002/aqc.3447

Abstract

Abstract The Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA) supports the protection and ecological restoration of the native European oyster, Ostrea edulis, and its habitat across its current and historical biogeographical range. NORA works to overcome barriers to the conservation, restoration, and recovery of the European oyster by providing a platform for the NORA community to collaborate and participate in knowledge exchange. NORA seeks to support responsible restoration practice, in compliance with biosecurity and sustainability. Against this background, the NORA community formulated a series of specific recommendations, the Berlin Oyster Recommendation, to support native oyster restoration by developing and applying best practice with the aim to recover healthy and resilient marine ecosystems. In combination with the Standards for Ecological Restoration (SER) and the Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs, the Berlin Oyster Recommendation is a relevant tool for successful and sustainable oyster restoration in Europe. The establishment of NORA working groups will support the implementation and further development of the six corresponding recommendations. Current NORA working groups cover site selection, biosecurity, production, and monitoring. The site selection working group will address the identification of suitable sites for oyster restoration to support policy relevant decision making and the conservation, reinforcement, or reintroduction of native oysters. The biosecurity working group will develop biosecurity guidelines for native oyster restoration in Europe. The production working group will assess the potential of standards for seed oyster production and supply in order to enhance production appropriate for restoration purposes. In close collaboration with the Native Oyster Network – UK & Ireland (NON), the monitoring working group will produce a monitoring guidelines handbook to provide metrics and methods that will be suitable across the range of O. edulis projects in Europe for the documentation of restoration success and ecosystem recovery. The Berlin Oyster Recommendation was examined and interpreted by NORA experts in the context of the further development of joint guidelines for the practice of successful and sustainable native oyster restoration.

Highlights

The Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA) is a growing network of professionals working in science, technology, nature conservation, restoration, commercial aquaculture, and policymaking who recognize the importance of the habitat created by the native European oyster, Ostrea edulis, and the benefits of restoring oyster habitat throughout its historical range (Pogoda et al, 2019)
The species and the habitat it provides are listed under the Convention for the Protection and Conservation of the North-East Atlantic and its resources (OSPAR) as threatened and/or declining (OSPAR, 2008, 2013), and biogenic reefs are protected under the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC; Habitats Directive, 1992)
The Native Oyster Restoration Alliance is a dynamic network of a wide range of actors that provides the combined focus on current and future restoration-related challenges

Summary

Introduction

The Native Oyster Restoration Alliance (NORA) is a growing network of professionals working in science, technology, nature conservation, restoration, commercial aquaculture, and policymaking who recognize the importance of the habitat created by the native European oyster, Ostrea edulis, and the benefits of restoring oyster habitat throughout its historical range (Pogoda et al, 2019). The biosecurity working group will develop biosecurity guidelines for native oyster restoration in Europe. In close collaboration with the Native Oyster Network – UK & Ireland (NON), the monitoring working group will produce a monitoring guidelines handbook to provide metrics and methods that will be suitable across the range

Results

Conclusion