MARE and MED launch Nature Restoration Observatory

MARE and the MED (Mediterranean Institute for Agriculture, Environment and Development) have established a partnership aimed at creating the “Nature Restoration Observatory”.

This observatory's main objective is to contribute to the development of effective strategies for conserving biodiversity and promoting sustainability. The aim is to develop and promote innovative projects aimed at ecological restoration and incorporating nature-based solutions.

Fátima Baptista, Director of MED, and Pedro Raposo de Almeida, Director of MARE, are confident in the success of this partnership: “We believe that collaboration between our research centers will result in significant progress in the field of nature restoration, contributing to the achievement of the goals set by the UN within the framework of the list of sustainable development goals.”

The Observatory will bring together experts from both institutions, who will contribute technical and scientific knowledge in areas such as biology, ecology, agronomy and engineering. This will make it possible to better guide public environmental conservation and restoration policies, which integrate practices that respect social and economic sustainability. For Pedro Raposo de Almeida, “through this partnership, the two centers are strengthening their ability to collaborate with institutions, companies and other key players in addressing complex and pressing environmental challenges, such as biodiversity loss, the degradation of aquatic ecosystems, climate change and water scarcity.”

The partnership comes during the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration and coincides with the approval of the Nature Restoration Act by the European Union. The Observatory also promoted the creation of an intensive course in Ecological Restoration at the University of Évora, with support from the Erasmus+ program.