Audrey Darnaude, Sophie Arnaud-Haond, Ewan Hunter, Oscar Gaggiotti, Anna Sturrock, Maria Beger, Filip Volckaert, Angel Pérez-Ruzafa, Lucía López-López, Susanne E. Tanner, Cemal Turan, Servet Ahmet Doğdu, Stelios Katsanevakis, Federica Costantini, MARine Biodiversity Exploitation and Conservation (UMR MARBEC), Institut de Recherche pour le Développement (IRD)-Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer (IFREMER)-Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS)-Université de Montpellier (UM), Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science [Lowestoft] (CEFAS), Scottish Oceans Institute [University of St Andrews] (SOI), School of Biology [University of St Andrews], University of St Andrews [Scotland]-University of St Andrews [Scotland], University of Leeds, University of Queensland [Brisbane], International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis [Laxenburg] (IIASA), Universidad de Murcia, Instituto Español de Oceanografía (IEO), Málaga., Marine and Environmental Sciences Centre [Portugal] (MARE), Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida = University Institute of Psychological, Social and Life Sciences (ISPA), Department of Marine Sciences [Aegean], University of the Aegean, University of Bologna/Università di Bologna, Darnaude, Audrey, Arnaud-Haond, Sophie, Hunter, Ewan, Gaggiotti, Oscar, Sturrock, Anna, Beger, Maria, Volckaert, Filip, Pérez-Ruzafa, Angel, López-López, Lucía, Tanner, Susanne E., Turan, Cemal, Ahmet Doğdu, Servet, Katsanevakis, Stelio, and Costantini, Federica
Publisher: Pensoft Publishers; International audience; Truly sustainable development in a human-altered, fragmented marine environment subject to unprecedented climate change, demands informed planning strategies in order to be successful. Beyond a simple understanding of the distribution of marine species, data describing how variations in spatio-temporal dynamics impact ecosystem functioning and the evolution of species are required. Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC) characterizes the flows of matter, genes and energy produced by organism movements and migrations across the seascape. As such, MFC determines the ecological and evolutionary interdependency of populations, and ultimately the fate of species and ecosystems. Gathering effective MFC knowledge can therefore improve predictions of the impacts of environmental change and help to refine management and conservation strategies for the seas and oceans. Gathering these data are challenging however, as access to, and survey of marine ecosystems still presents significant challenge. Over 50 European institutions currently investigate aspects of MFC using complementary methods across multiple research fields, to understand the ecology and evolution of marine species. The aim of SEA-UNICORN, a COST Action within the European Union Horizon 2020 framework programme, is to bring together this research effort, unite the multiple approaches to MFC, and to integrate these under a common conceptual and analytical framework. The consortium brings together a diverse group of scientists to collate existing MFC data, to identify knowledge gaps, to enhance complementarity among disciplines, and to devise common approaches to MFC. SEA-UNICORN will promote co-working between connectivity practitioners and ecosystem modelers to facilitate the incorporation of MFC data into the predictive models used to identify marine conservation priorities. Ultimately, SEA-UNICORN will forge strong forward-working links between scientists, policy-makers and stakeholders to facilitate the integration of MFC knowledge into decision support tools for marine management and environmental policies.