The LIFE ECOREST project’s knowledge transfer seminar series continues. Gijón hosted the third seminar, aimed at facilitating the application of deep-sea habitat restoration strategies in other regions.
The workshop, held in Asturias and organised by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), brought together 23 participants from scientific institutions, public administrations, the fisheries sector and environmental organisations. They discussed the potential for adapting the project’s methodologies to the specific context of the Cantabrian Sea.
The Institute of Marine Sciences (ICM-CSIC), coordinator of LIFE ECOREST, presented its techniques for recovering and returning sessile organisms—such as corals, gorgonians and sponges—to the sea. These organisms act as ecosystem engineers and are essential for restoring the structural and functional complexity of marine habitats.
These techniques are based on collaboration with the fisheries sector and on the Badminton method. In practice, fishers recover organisms accidentally caught in their fishing nets and place them in aquaria located at local fishers’ guilds. Once the organisms have recovered and are in optimal condition, they are prepared for reintroduction into the sea by attaching them to cobblestones, which help keep them upright on the seabed.
During the seminar, ICM-CSIC also presented the different reintroduction and monitoring methods it employs using underwater robotic devices, enabling researchers to assess the high survival rates achieved. To date, this innovative active restoration methodology has enabled the rescue of more than 8,000 organisms off the coast of Catalonia.
Participants also examined the conditions required to replicate this model in Asturias and the Cantabrian Sea, including the identification of priority intervention areas, the available regulatory frameworks, technical and operational requirements, and funding opportunities.
During the seminar, participants highlighted the importance of restoring marine habitats not only to enhance biodiversity but also to improve fisheries resources, in line with the Nature Restoration Regulation and Spain’s National Nature Restoration Plan presented by MITECO’s Directorate-General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification.
The seminar also showcased other restoration initiatives developed in the region, including the NATURPORTS project, which has integrated nature-based solutions into the restoration of port ecosystems.
This was the third seminar in the series, following previous events in Palma de Mallorca and Málaga. A fourth national seminar and an international seminar are scheduled to take place during the first quarter of 2027.
LIFE ECOREST
The LIFE ECOREST project aims to restore nearly 30,000 hectares of deep-sea habitats in Catalonia by 2027, within a high ecological value area along the coasts of Girona and Barcelona, with the active participation of the fisheries sector.
The project brings together the University of Barcelona, the Territorial Federation of Fishers’ Guilds of Girona, the Biodiversity Foundation of MITECO, and WWF Spain, with financial support from the European Union’s LIFE Programme.