MARBENA Creating a long-term infrastructure for MARine Biodiversity research in the European economic area and the Newly Associated states

Biodiversity can be defined as the richness of the biosphere, the species, the genes that they contain and the habitats in which they live. Many goods and services delivered by marine ecosystems that are essential to society depend on biodiversity. Biodiversity is threatened: species disappear at rates never observed before in the history of planet earth. This extinction crisis is due to the human species.

project activities

To achieve the proposed activities, MARBENA performs the following main activities:

1. To create a long-term infrastructure for marine biodiversity research
   1. To develop a European Marine Biodiversity Network
      • MARBENA will start by using existing information (e.g. the ESF and Diversitas Science Plan and the results from BIOMARE and M@RBLE amongst others) and by cooperating with existing European organisations, including the European Marine Research Stations Network MARS that through its member institutes has already played an active role in the development of marine biodiversity science.
      • MARBENA will open its activities and actively engage cooperation with any interested partner, including museums of natural history, universities and government laboratories.
      • MARBENA will establish a structural link with the BioPlatform.
      • One of the most important tasks will be integration with scientists of the Newly Associated States and a sufficient coverage of the marine areas at the periphery: the Arctic Sea, the Black Sea and - when possible - the Southern Mediterranean Sea.

   2. To build a long term research infrastructure for the network MARBENA will provide the information and mechanisms for creating a solid basis on which the network can build:
      • By discussing research priorities and their implementation and coordination for the next five (or even ten) years and the ways of financing European-level research where needed, taking advantage of the new possibilities of the next framework programme and the European Research Area e.g. through complementation of national research.
      • By describing the market of ‘supply and demand’ of marine biodiversity information: who are the stakeholders and what information is available and needed? Where are the gaps and what can be done about them?
      • By describing and publishing a catalogue of the research infrastructure existing and required (vessels, instrumentation, experimental facilities) and of taxonomic literature (floras and faunas, keys for identification), studying their accessibility to European researchers and prioritising their development where necessary.
      • By promoting regional cooperation between different EEA and NAS countries focusing on regional problems and involving the regional end-users.
      • By promoting the possibilities for discussion between scientists, management and policy makers.

2. To create visibility for marine biodiversity issues in Europe

   To heighten the visibility of the Marine Biodiversity issues and therefore marine biodiversity research in Europe, MARBENA will work on publicizing these issues with the stakeholders and the public. This will be done by maintaining an active web site, regular press releases, publication of newsletter, CD-ROM's and folders. MARBENA will link to other programmes of interest (DIVERSITAS, relevant IGBP-programmes, Census of Marine Life CoML etc.), to EU policy makers requiring information and support for policy implementation, e.g. the Water and Habitat Directives, the European Environment Agency and to the ESF Marine Board as a representative of the national funding agencies.

   1. To develop and maintain a web site where information and issues produced by the Marine Biodiversity Network will be easily accessible to stakeholders involved in marine biodiversity as well as the public at large. The website will be the main communication structure for the network of marine biodiversity stakeholder. The website will have links to the MARS Web Site and to other web-sites (BioPlatform, ESF Marine Board, EU Directorate of Research)
   2. To organise Electronic conferences on selected themes
      • To provide relevant information on the Marine Biodiversity issue for use in the meetings of the “European Platform for Biodiversity Research Strategy” (EPBRS) connected with the EU presidencies For this, a close cooperation will be established with BioPlatform.
      • To discuss issues that are important for the establishment and maintenance of the Marine Biodiversity Network and the long term infrastructure for marine biodiversity research and the communication between researchers, management and policy makers

   3. To organise workshops, conferences and case studies

      MARBENA will organize together with other partners a series of workshops on selected topics, discussion of four case studies on selected priority issues for four regions in Europe involving scientists, policy makers, industry and the public (including the press) and a major conference to finalise the project and create the conditions for the future existence of the network.

3. Involving the Newly Associated States

   In this project special effort will be undertaken to include the scientists and through them the other stakeholders of the marine biodiversity research from the Newly Associated States in the network. For this we propose the concept of MARBENA Ambassadors, well known and respected scientists who are residents of the NAS, who will actively extend the network in these countries. Furthermore the 'Ambassadors' will discuss relevant biodiversity issues at the Electronic conferences.

General coordination: Carlo Heip ,Herman Hummel and Pim van Avesaath Web site and conference hosted by VLIZ