Abstract
Truly sustainable development in a human-altered, fragmented marine environment subject to unprecedented climate change, demands informed planning strategies in order to be successful. Beyond a simple understanding of the distribution of marine species, data describing how variations in spatio-temporal dynamics impact ecosystem functioning and the evolution of species are required. Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) characterizes the flows of matter, genes and energy produced by organism movements and migrations across the seascape. As such, MFC determines the ecological and evolutionary interdependency of populations, and ultimately the fate of species and ecosystems. Gathering effective MFC knowledge can therefore improve predictions of the impacts of environmental change and help to refine management and conservation strategies for the seas and oceans. Gathering these data are challenging however, as access to, and survey of marine ecosystems still presents significant challenge. Over 50 European institutions currently investigate aspects of MFC using complementary methods across multiple research fields, to understand the ecology and evolution of marine species. The aim of SEA-UNICORN, a COST Action within the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme, is to bring together this research effort, unite the multiple approaches to MFC, and to integrate these under a common conceptual and analytical framework. The consortium brings together a diverse group of scientists to collate existing MFC data, to identify knowledge gaps, to enhance complementarity among disciplines, and to devise common approaches to MFC. SEA-UNICORN will promote co-working between connectivity practitioners and ecosystem modelers to facilitate the incorporation of MFC data into the predictive models used to identify marine conservation priorities. Ultimately, SEA-UNICORN will forge strong forward-working links between scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders to facilitate the integration of MFC knowledge into decision support tools for marine management and environmental policies.
Highlights
Oceans and seas cover more than 70% of the Earth and deliver multiple ecosystem services, including some that shape human societies (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2018, IPBES et al 2019)
In order to predict how marine ecosystems will respond to future climate change, and to design effective conservation and management strategies, it is critical to build a more quantitative understanding of “Marine Functional Connectivity” (MFC)
Resource managers and policymakers with diverse expertise will be invited to actively partake in the Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action, and to guide discussions that build on current advances in the development of decision-support tools that facilitate the integration of MFC data into management (Balbar and Metaxas 2019, Daigle et al 2020, Keeley et al 2021)
Summary
Oceans and seas cover more than 70% of the Earth and deliver multiple ecosystem services, including some that shape human societies (e.g., food provision, climate regulation) (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations 2018, IPBES et al 2019). While human activities often result in changes in structural connectivity, it is functional connectivity that determines the demographic, ecological and evolutionary interdependency of populations and communities, as well as the flow of energy and organic matter among sites (Auffret et al 2015) It modulates the ecological effects of environmental change, and seals the fate of species, ecosystems, and the services that they provide. In order to predict how marine ecosystems will respond to future climate change, and to design effective conservation and management strategies, it is critical to build a more quantitative understanding of “Marine Functional Connectivity” (MFC) Building this understanding is the central aim of the new European Cooperation in Science and Technology (COST) Action, ‘Unifying Approaches to Marine Connectivity for improved Resource Management for the Seas” (SEA-UNICORN). We briefly list the major scientific challenges that this consortium aims to tackle, outline the theoretical and methodological advances expected from the COST Action, and present our strategy to advance the emerging field of MFC research and disseminate MFC knowledge in Europe and beyond
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