Lead institution:
University of Palermo – Italy
Climate change and human pressures are destabilizing marine ecosystems, threatening biodiversity, food security, and coastal livelihoods. BLUE-MED responds to this challenge by advancing coastal ocean monitoring and predictive ecological capabilities in the climate-vulnerable Mediterranean region.
Combining continuous field monitoring, laboratory experiments, and AI-assisted forecasting, the project will predict ecosystem responses to warming and overfishing, including biodiversity loss, habitat degradation, and food web collapse.
Action-oriented, BLUE-MED engages local communities to co-design sustainable fishing practices and pilot nature-based solutions for ecosystem restoration.
Scalable and inclusive, the project contributes to Decade goals by promoting science-based policy, enhancing ocean resilience, and supporting SDGs 2, 13 and 14 through long-term ecological monitoring and stakeholder empowerment.
Start Date: 01/01/2026
End Date: 31/12/2030
Lead Contact: Chiara Martino (chiara.martino@unipa.it)