Eight countries, 18 partners and €11M: these are the figures of the European BioProtect project that aims to protect marine biodiversity in the Atlantic and Arctic oceans. INESC TEC is one of the partners of this ambitious initiative, funded by Horizon Europe, which promises to change the way marine ecosystems are monitored and preserved.
It’s not just about researching the seabed: BioProtect partners are committed to going further and playing a role in European ocean conservation policies. How? Synergies between science, technology and environmental management will be established for four years to protect fragile ecosystems, e.g., coral habitats and areas with significant biodiversity, threatened by human activities and climate change. We are talking about tools like detailed mapping of marine ecosystems using robotics technology and environmental DNA analysis (eDNA).
INESC TEC, as a member of the consortium, will contribute to robotics knowledge, developing solutions that combine technological innovation with a positive impact on society. According to Alfredo Martins, a researcher at INESC TEC, BioProtect is an opportunity “to strengthen our position as leaders in underwater technology”. “We are developing state-of-the-art technologies like underwater robotic vehicles; in this particular case, we’re focusing on eDNA autonomous sampling sensors capable of operating in harsh and deep-sea environments. These systems allow us to efficiently collect valuable information about the marine ecosystem and biodiversity.”
The project is expected to have a significant impact on the preservation of marine biodiversity by providing scientific data to support management and decision-making.
The researcher mentioned in this news piece is associated with IPP-ISEP.
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