IMarine

Title: Data e-Infrastructure initiative for fisheries management and conservation of marine living resources

Summary: iMarine aims to establish and operate an e-infrastructure supporting the principles of the Ecosystem Approach to fisheries management and conservation of marine living resources. Over recent years, the marine ecosystem has been affected by many natural and socio-economic phenomena like natural disasters, human interventions (like fisheries) etc., that are making real changes to the original marine ecosystem. These events force policy makers, environmental institutions, operators etc. to establish a dialogue to start formulating strategies aimed at the conservation and sustainability of the whole ecosystem structure and its properties.

So far, this interaction has been started, but with poor results: a concrete Ecosystem Approach has not been yet adopted as is documented by the high number of existing Regional Fishery Management Organisations, Regional Seas Programmes, Ocean Biodiversity Initiatives, etc. who still adopt their own policies, terminologies, methodologies, and tools, and rarely cross over interdisciplinary boundaries, limiting the exchange of ideas and results with other communities, fragmenting understanding, reducing policy effectiveness and slowing down learning for adaptive management. iMarine will bridge these gaps through the development of an open and collaborative e-infrastructure, unlocking new knowledge and supporting science-based policy making through a Community of Practice.

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