The European Marinas Network meeting marked the launch of a Knowledge Hub led by Greece and Italy, set to include European marinas at in environmental monitoring and marine data collection. This network also aims to boost ocean literacy, encourage sustainable practices among marina stakeholders, and create a platform for sharing best practices and collaboration.
Representatives from across Europe came together to discuss how to turn these ideas into action. The core concept? Positioning marinas as active contributors to ocean research by equipping them to gather valuable environmental data and transforming them into attractive hubs for societal engagement.
The presentation of Esther Rickert and Toste Tanhua from GEOMAR on SOOP sensors, which enable marinas to collect and share real-time ocean data, provided a stimulating start for our conversation on data collection. Alberto Sonino also introduced the World Marinas Conference as a suitable stage for the European Marinas Network to showcase its work and build further momentum.
Discussions mainly covered the implementation plans, including which parameters marinas will monitor, how they will engage in the process, and what the upscaling from the pilot phase will look like. The first phase will seek marinas from the countries involved in the Joint Action, namely Italy, Greece, Germany, and Croatia, with a Portuguese marina already lined up to join as well. To get started, it was decided to focus on the marinas infrastructure first and involve boats and sailors at a subsequent stage.
One of the key points raised was accessibility. Beyond data gathering, making such information available, understandable and useful to society is just as important. We plan to present the collected data with clear explanations suited to the average citizen, ensuring that people outside the scientific community can also engage with the findings of this Knowledge Hub.
Another crucial discussion focused on long-term sustainability of the collected data. A strong legacy plan is essential, ensuring that monitoring continues well beyond the scope of the Knowledge Hub.
This initiative offers marinas the opportunity to actively contribute to marine science, while also benefitting the environment and local communities. By bringing together marina businesses and research organisations, the European Marinas Network is set to prove that a collaborative approach to ocean monitoring is an effective, efficient, and engaging way forward for generating and spreading ocean knowledge.