What is it
About ?
To address the overall objective of MaCoBioS and the expected impacts of the call, a set of specific objectives have been
determined
SO1
Develop new empirical models on the interaction between climate change, biodiversity, functions and services in marine coastal ecosystems
S02
Establish a framework to assess the vulnerability of marine socio-ecological systems under climate change scenarios.
S03
Evaluate the effectiveness of nature-based solutions and protection measures at enhancing the resilience capacity of marine coastal ecosystems.
S04
Provide evidence-based guidance for marine policy formulation and innovative research pathways.
MaCoBioS overall concept
The MaCoBioS project aims to propose cost-effective mitigation and adaptation nature-based solutions to tackle the effects of climate change by disentangling the relationship between climate change, biodiversity and ecosystem services in marine coastal ecosystems under complex combinations of stressors. The project uses the ecological condition of ecosystems as a cornerstone (Figure 1). The absorption of climate change effects by marine coastal ecosystems is directly linked to their ecological condition and their level of biodiversity and adaptive capacity. Indeed, the range, quality and quantity of services provided by an ecosystem is dependent on its ecological condition.
Figure 1 : Schematic of MaCoBioS overall concept representing the complex linkages between climate change, biodiversity, ecosystem services and ecological condition of marine coastal ecosystems. Abiotic and social factors, and ecosystem functions and services represent a non-exhaustive selection. Adapted from Duncan et al. (2015).
Based on the parameters of overall productivity, the safe operating space of foundation and associated species, the connectivity with other habitats, the diversity and redundancy of functional groups, the presence of rare species, the adaptive capacity of species at the individual and population levels, and on the fragile mutualistic interactions involving foundation species (i.e. coral species and zooxanthellae), MaCoBioS elaborates a comprehensive and integrated indicator system with correlation and discrimination analysis, following principles of hierarchy, simplicity, comprehensiveness, and operability. MaCoBioS will bridge the ecological impact of climate change on marine coastal ecosystems, the vulnerability of socio-ecological systems according to multiple climate change scenarios, the implementation of effective nature-based solutions, and ensure efficient uptake from and to policymakers and other decision-making stakeholders involved in marine coastal ecosystems management.
MaCoBioS will work directly with stakeholders and policymakers in local case studies in the Caribbean, the Western Mediterranean Sea and Northern Europe to provide further guidance on the implementation of these directives.