Worldwide climate change, extreme pressure exerted by invasive herbivorous species, and human activity such as urban buildup threaten coastal and deep sea habitats. These dangers also affect species such as seagrass, algae, coral reefs, and sponges, which produce oxygen, prevent coastal erosion, and provide breeding and feeding environments for other marine species.
The Marine Ecosystem Restoration in Changing European Seas (MERCES) project aims to ascertain the methods required to restore coastal and deep sea habitats damaged by the aforementioned threats. To this end, various experimentation stations were set up in No Fishing Zones at Gökova Bay, as well as trialling the planting of seagrass and some macroalgae types, and the use of cages to protect the planted specimens.
MERCES is a joint effort by twenty-eight institutions from 16 countries, including NGOs and universities. The Turkish leg of the project was conducted by the MCS between 2016-2020.
This international project coordinated by the Delle Marche Polytechnic University in Italy was supported by the European Union’s HORIZON 2010 Framework.
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