Providing complete marine environment restoration solutions to local authorities and coastal developers.
Since the 1950's, the number of endangered marine species has continued to grow and the natural capital of fish has declined sharply. The causes of this phenomenon are numerous: among them are pollution, habitat destruction, climate change, the emergence of invasive species, and of course the over-exploitation of marine resources, whose actual rate exceeds the optimal rate by a factor of three to four. Some scientists even predict that by 2050 almost all marine fish stocks will be gone! Currently, over 50% of commercial species are exploited to their maximum sustainable yield, and 32% are considered overexploited, depleted or recovering.
Every day, humanity demands increasingly more from this limited and endangered resource. As a result, simple conservation of natural resources, and particularly marine resources, is not enough to redress the balance. Positive efforts must be made to actively repair our marine ecosystems.
To stop the decline in biodiversity, the EU's Marine Strategy Framework Directive (2008/56/EC) requires European countries to identify targets and produce effective solutions for marine environment restoration. In accordance with the directive, and also the recommendations of the "Grenelle de la Mer" (a multi-stakeholder accord on the future of the marine environment), the French government wishes to reduce biodiversity losses, improve knowledge of marine ecosystems and propose operational solutions.
The framework specifically mentions research into restoration solutions for degraded environments. Its scope of action covers three main areas:
- Scientific challenges related to marine biodiversity and ecosystems
- Observation, monitoring and measurement of the marine environment
- Organization, service development and ecological engineering
