MARE joins innovative European project to “listen” and protect the ocean
Five Portuguese institutions, including MARE - Center for Marine and Environmental Sciences, are part of SEAMPHONI, an ambitious European project that brings together science, technology and art to protect remote marine ecosystems by creating a digital twin of the ocean.
Funded by the European Union through the Horizon Europe program, SEAMPHONI proposes innovative solutions for monitoring and understanding the deep ocean, with the aim of making accessible and visible areas that are often forgotten, beyond territorial waters.
From Madeira, MARE, in collaboration with ARDITI and the University of Madeira, is leading the biodiversity monitoring component in six pilot areas: Madeira, the Wadden Sea, the Mediterranean, Turkey, Reunion Island and Iceland.
“We are going to test technological solutions that allow us to access, with more precision and in some cases less cost, areas of the ocean that until now were practically inaccessible,” says João Canning-Clode, a researcher at MARE. “This is a crucial step towards better understanding and protecting these areas and will greatly contribute to the global goal of 30% protected by 2030.”
The project will integrate acoustic data, images and environmental DNA (eDNA), making it possible to “hear, see and understand the invisible ocean”, according to WWF Portugal, which, together with the EurOcean Foundation, will ensure the scientific translation of the results for society and public policy.
With this multidisciplinary approach, SEAMPHONI aims to influence political decisions and increase the representation of remote marine areas in conservation strategies.
This breakthrough comes at a time of renewed political focus on sustainability: on Friday, the European Commission approved a package to simplify the green taxonomy, easing reporting obligations for companies and seeking to balance environmental ambition with economic competitiveness. The new regulations come into force in 2026.
While new financial and regulatory instruments are being designed for a more sustainable economy, projects like SEAMPHONI demonstrate that Portuguese science is at the forefront of global marine conservation.
Photo by JMonteiro