Research & Initiatives

Our mission consists of three main axes:

1) to investigate biodiversity and ecosystem functioning in the marine environment, integrating coastal and offshore systems, as well as pelagic and benthic components;

2) to analyze and evaluate the socio-ecological effects of multiple human impacts (both direct, such as fishing or pollution, and indirect, caused for example by climate change, such as temperature rise, acidification and spread of alien species) on marine organisms, populations, communities, habitats and ecosystems, including the consequences on ecosystem services;

3) to identify solutions for a more sustainable management of marine resources (e.g., in relation to small scale fishing and the consumption of seafood) and a more effective conservation of marine biodiversity (e.g., through networks of Marine Protected Areas), evaluating the effects at the bio-ecological and socio-economic levels.