The MER (Marine Ecosystem Restoration) project is the largest sea project under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP)(Mission 2) with ISPRA as the implementing body and the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) as the administration holder of the financing of €400 million for 2022-2026.
In detail, MER is built around 37 lines of activity focused on the following goals: interventions for the restoration of seabed and marine habitats, mapping of coastal and marine habitats, the strengthening of the national system for the observation of marine and coastal ecosystems, a new oceanographic naval unit equipped with highly technological equipment capable of probing the seabed up to 4000 metres. “We aim at creating the basis for a ‘blue’ and ‘certified blue’ sustainable development, meaning that the knowledge and expertise that our Institute make available are a guarantee of a project whose actions will also have an impact on the Italian economic and social development,” said Maria Siclari, Director General of ISPRA.
ISPRA’s expertise has also been recognized by Nello Musumeci, Minister for Civil Protection and Marine Policies: “The MER project will help us correct past situations, when the sea was exploited”. The Institute has also the role of technical-scientific coordinator of the national system for monitoring and evaluating the state of health of marine ecosystems as envisaged by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive 2008/56/CE, with MASE as the Competent Authority.
The MER project includes the following activities: restoration of 15 areas with Posidonia Oceanica, and restoration of additional 15 areas where there are abandoned fishing tools and mapping of 90 seamounts located in the Ligurian Sea, the Tyrrhenian Sea, the Sardinian Sea, the Ionian Sea and the Southern Adriatic Sea for an estimated surface of approximately 14,000 km2. The goal is “to ensure that Italian seas achieve ‘good environmental status’ through an in-depth knowledge of ecosystems, and to offer solutions to address the challenges of climate change,” said the President of ISPRA and Snpa Stefano Laporta. The good health of the sea is of great importance also according to Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, Minister of the Environment and Energy Security who added: “The state of health of the sea is crucial for the protection of Italian ecosystems, which are strongly connected with the sea. Bioplastics, excessive exploitation of fishery resources affecting food chains, climate changes triggering the proliferation of alien species that find favourable conditions in our seas and drive out native species: all these circumstances must raise concern and prompt action, with a commitment to protect 30% of our seas, including 10% under strict protection.”
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