Encontro MARE 2024

On 4 and 5 November, the University of Évora hosted this year's MARE meeting. For two days, more than 200 researchers from the eight regional research units gathered for an event full of meetings, workshops, lectures and debates on various areas and topics related to research in marine and environmental sciences, challenges, action and cooperation for the sustainability of aquatic ecosystems.

Day 1:  November 4th, 2024

‘It's good to feel the room full,’ said MARE director Pedro Raposo de Almeida once again at this year's MARE Meeting, thanking everyone for attending. Presiding over the opening session, Pedro Raposo de Almeida emphasised the importance of scientific sharing between the eight regional research units that make up MARE, saying that ‘the next five years are going to be demanding, with many challenges, but above all with many opportunities’. Also speaking at the opening session were Professor João Nabais, Vice-Rector of the University of Évora, Eng. Carmen Carvalheira, Vice-President of CCDR-Alentejo I.P., and Jorge Araújo, Mayor of Évora. Municipal Assembly of Évora. Eng. Carmen Carvalheira emphasised the importance of the ocean for the region, saying that ‘the Alentejo region occupies around 30% of the country, and we often forget that we are also the sea. Despite being inland, the sea begins in each one of us’. This message was once again reinforced by the Mayor Jorge Araújo, who believes that ‘the Alentejo is not just inland. It's also a sea coast’ and that ’if today there are 600 (researchers in the field of aquatic sciences), tomorrow there will be 1600. The future is in the sea’.

Closing the opening session was Professor Luís Coelho, who presented MARE's newest regional research unit, the Polytechnic Institute of Setúbal. In this way, the other regional units were able to learn about the work carried out by their new colleagues, their plans for the future and what added value they bring by joining MARE.

After this presentation, while the integrated PhD researchers took part in the Scientific Council meeting, the rest of the participants had the opportunity to take part in various activities, including visits to the Mora Fluviarium and the Eugénio de Almeida Foundation, and the workshops ‘Techniques for capturing, marking and collecting Aquatic Exotic and Invasive Species’, ‘Share your science’ and ‘Drones & GIS’.

The day ended with a convivial dinner that allowed the participants to build closer relationships.

Day 2: November 5th, 2024

For those who didn't take part in the Coordinators' Meeting, the second day of the MARE 2024 Meeting began with a series of workshops organised by MARE researchers, with the aim of promoting knowledge sharing and capacity building, discussing current challenges, the state of the art and new research techniques. 

In a collaboration between MARE and the MED of the University of Évora, the Nature Restoration Observatory gave MARE researchers the opportunity to learn about methods and strategies for conserving biodiversity and promoting environmental sustainability in aquatic ecosystems, prioritising natural solutions, in the workshop ‘Ecological Restoration Techniques in Aquatic Environments’.  
The AlentEdge Office of the Alentejo Science and Technology Park (PACT) and INVENTA trained MARE researchers in the modalities and avenues of protection available and applicable to marine and environmental sciences, providing practical guidelines for the process of registering trademarks, designs and patents, with the workshop ‘From Invention to Patent: Intellectual Protection in Marine and Environmental Sciences’.

The workshop ‘Plastics and associated contaminants: current perceptions and future research directions for MARE’ was an example of co-operation between two of MARE's regional research units. MARE-NOVA and MARE-Madeira came together to give other researchers the opportunity to establish new lines of action and strategies within this theme. This workshop was essential for identifying researchers and groups with research affinities, strengthening existing interactions and promoting future collaborations within MARE.
Another workshop resulting from collaboration between units was ‘Researching Aquatic Ecosystems with Drones at MARE’, which covered aspects such as the characteristics of different types of drones and sensors, and discussed the legal requirements and safety practices for flying drones in Portugal. This workshop, organised by MARE-UÉvora and MARE-Madeira, was a real opportunity to share experiences, knowledge and challenges about the use of drones in research and academic contexts. 

MARE-UÉvora was also responsible for organising the workshop ‘Follow the food: Application of carbon and nitrogen stable isotopes in aquatic food webs’ in partnership with the HERCULES Laboratory at the University of Évora.

From MARE-UCoimbra came two workshops, ‘Meta-analysis as a tool to evaluate results heterogeneity among studies’ and ‘Virtual Experimentation in the MARE environment: Advances discovering CFD tools’, organised by Verónica Ferreira and Rita Carvalho, respectively, which aimed to give an overview of the use of these two tools.

Finally, Carolina Doran from ECSA - European Citizen Science Association, brought the workshop ‘What is citizen science and where can we take it’ on citizen science. 

This theme was also addressed by Carolina Doran in the first session of the afternoon, with her talk ‘Citizen science in Europe and beyond: How can I join?’. With the auditorium full, Carolina Doran presented the concept of citizen science to everyone present and how it can be incorporated into her research work. With MARE-IPSetúbal as the focal point, a new opportunity was opened up for collaboration and the development of activities within the theme.

This was followed by the Round Table ‘Action and Cooperation for the Sustainability of the Ocean’, with the participation of Professor Maria João Bebiano, Co-Coordinator of the Portuguese Committee for the Decade of the Ocean (CNDO), Engineer Marisa Lameiras da Silva, Director-General for Maritime Policy (DGPM), Engineer José Carlos Simão, Director-General of the Portuguese Committee for the Decade of the Ocean (CNDO). José Carlos Simão, Director General of Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services (DGRM), Dr Ana Martins, representative of the Portuguese Institute of the Sea and Atmosphere (IPMA) and Dr Joana Boavida-Portugal, MARE's representative on the IPOS Coalition of Scientific Institutions. This session, moderated by MARE's director Professor Pedro Raposo de Almeida, discussed the objectives of the Decade of the Ocean for Sustainable Development 2021-2030 and how organisations like MARE can contribute to achieving them.

After the Round Table, Pedro Raposo de Almeida chaired the closing event, which was also attended by Her Excellency the Secretary of State for Fisheries, Dr Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar, and Professor Augusto Peixe, Pro-Rector for Support to Scientific and Pedagogical Units. Unable to be physically present at the session, Dr Cláudia Monteiro de Aguiar left a powerful video message in which she reinforced MARE's role in developing policies to support governance, highlighting it as a ‘true ambassador for scientific research, technological development and innovation (...) being widely known for its rigour and reliability’.

From these two days there was a huge sharing of scientific knowledge, new approaches and research methods. It's not yet known which MARE regional research unit will pass on the baton for next year's edition, but it will certainly have a full room again.