Marine Biodiversity Restoration

in the Atlantic & Arctic Ocean
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PHAROS is an EU-funded project, led by the Canary Islands Ocean Platform (PLOCAN), and implemented by a consortium of 24 organisations from September 2024 to August 2029, which aims to provide nature-based solutions for restoring ecosystems and biodiversity while tackling climate change and human impacts in the Atlantic and Arctic maritime regions.

The European Union is taking significant steps towards protecting and restoring our ocean’s health with the PHAROS project, a crucial part of the EU’s ambitious Ocean Mission. Aiming to achieve three key objectives by 2030: restoring marine ecosystems and biodiversity, eliminating ocean pollution, and creating a sustainable blue economy, PHAROS is set to bridge the development phase (ending in 2025) and the deployment phase (2026-2030).

Restoration

PHAROS will conduct three demonstrations in the Atlantic, utilising a mix of newly developed Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA), specifically tailored to the local environment. These efforts will lead to significant biodiversity and ecosystem restoration benefits during the initial phase of the mission.

Invasive Species Reduction

PHAROS will collaborate with the H2020 ECOTIP project to enhance and expand its efforts in a demonstration aimed at reducing invasive species in Iceland through the use of eDNA monitoring. This initiative will span both the first and second phases of the mission.

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Mission Integration

PHAROS will advance the Technology Readiness Level (TRL) and implement leading Mission projects across the Atlantic and Arctic (AA) basin. This includes initiatives such as the Prep4Blue MPA platform and network, Nettagplus, Remedies Fisher Guardian, Citizen Litter Entrepreneur programs, and the Probleu EU Blue School Network platform for education, bridging into phase 2 of the mission.

LATEST NEWS
Image shows text that reads: Nature-Based Solutions with abstract circle shapes in light green colour of the PHAROS project brand.
What Are Nature-Based Solutions?
 What Are Nature-Based Solutions? 1024 576 PHAROS Project

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are actions that protect, manage, or restore ecosystems to tackle problems like climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution.

PHAROS Builds on the Legacy of ProBleu: Discover 111 Blue School Projects from Across Europe 
 PHAROS Builds on the Legacy of ProBleu: Discover 111 Blue School Projects from Across Europe  1024 683 PHAROS Project

Building on the ProBleu legacy, PHAROS highlights 111 Blue School projects from across Europe. These initiatives, funded across 44 countries, engaged students and communities in ocean and water literacy, from biodiversity to climate change. The full compilation is now available on Zenodo.

Bantry Marine Bay Station, part of PHAROS Project
Estonian fishermen get first‑hand look at Bantry Bay’s seaweed and lumpfish research
 Estonian fishermen get first‑hand look at Bantry Bay’s seaweed and lumpfish research 900 416 PHAROS Project

Estonian fishers visited Bantry Marine Research Station to see PHAROS research on IMTA, lumpfish hatchery work and seaweed trials.

PHAROS Roundtable Pushes Permitting Debate Forward for Blue Economy Projects
 PHAROS Roundtable Pushes Permitting Debate Forward for Blue Economy Projects 900 900 PHAROS Project

PHAROS roundtable explores permitting barriers for blue economy projects and key solutions to speed up innovation.

How Deltares Is Helping PHAROS Bring Science to the Sea
 How Deltares Is Helping PHAROS Bring Science to the Sea 940 430 PHAROS Project

Read more about Deltares.nl and how the consortium partner helps bring science to the sea with PHAROS.

Blue Growth, Green Balance Sustainable Aquaculture & Biodiversity featured image
PHAROS Hosts Webinar: Blue Growth, Green Balance: Sustainable Aquaculture & Biodiversity Webinar
 PHAROS Hosts Webinar: Blue Growth, Green Balance: Sustainable Aquaculture & Biodiversity Webinar 1024 576 PHAROS Project

On 8 June…

PHAROS shares nature-based restoration work at North Sea Advisory Council meeting
 PHAROS shares nature-based restoration work at North Sea Advisory Council meeting 1024 400 PHAROS Project

PHAROS presented its nature-based solutions at the NSAC Ecosystem Working Group meeting.

PHAROS Future- Blue Skills session report: Ireland’s Blue Economy
 PHAROS Future- Blue Skills session report: Ireland’s Blue Economy 1024 423 PHAROS Project

Blue Skills session at Munster Technological University (MTU) brought together leading researchers, industry voices and innovators to tackle a pressing question: who will crew Ireland’s growing blue economy, and what skills will they need?

Blue Schools workshop held at MTU Kerry as part of PHAROS Irish Living Lab event 
 Blue Schools workshop held at MTU Kerry as part of PHAROS Irish Living Lab event  1024 771 PHAROS Project

The first Blue Schools…

Irish Living Lab Day 3: Bantry Marine Research Station
 Irish Living Lab Day 3: Bantry Marine Research Station 1024 576 PHAROS Project

Can strategically farmed seaweed, placed just 200 metres from a commercial salmon farm, actually restore marine habitats? The PHAROS project’s first full season of data from Bantry Bay, where winged and sugar kelp are cultivated, has delivered unexpected answers. The control site (no salmon) grew more kelp, but the Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) site hosted far more tiny marine life, revealing a complex, surprising trade-off between biomass and biodiversity.

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