Ecoamare
ECOAMARE is a research project supported by the NWO-NWA ‘Wind op Zee’ (Offshore wind) call. It stands for ECosystem-based Adaptive MAnagement for REnewable energy in a sustainable North Sea (ECOAMARE).
Central to ECOAMARE is the challenge of finding physical and ecological space for offshore in the North Sea. Our ambition is to supports strategic, interdisciplinary and inclusive decision-making that allows for an ecosystem-based management approach in upscaling offshore wind to combat climate change.
Background
The North Sea is among the prime locations in Europe where renewable energy deployment is attractive. The North Sea, however, is among the busiest sea basins on the planet and faces serious ecological pressures. Without strategic, interdisciplinary and inclusive decision-making, today’s choices may undermine future solutions and fail to anticipate ecological, societal, or legal thresholds. ECOAMARE aims to meaningfully relate inter- and transdisciplinary knowledge and values to strategic decision-making. Hence, ECOAMARE responds to the need to support the balancing offshore wind energy with other societal, environmental and economic interests within the boundaries of the North Sea ecosystem.
Key objectives
The mission of ECOAMARE is to develop and translate knowledge on ecological pressures, available space and various key stakeholder interests into strategic policy making. As such, ECOAMARE targets three related objectives:
Promoting an inclusive, timely and informed uptake of knowledge for policy development
Identify and examine synergies, conflicts and trade-offs between offshore interests and values
Examine how legal and governance frameworks constrain or may support the development of strategic policies offshore