Mapping and Assessing Benefits coming from the European Overseas’ Ecosystems.

Leader: FRCT

Ensure optimal implementation, coordination and integration of the project activities, through providing effective structures, tools and procedures for supervision of project progress, reporting, internal communication, and internal quality assurance.

• Task 1.1- Technical coordination of the project
• Task 1.2- Administrative, legal and financial management of the project

Leader: IRD

To assess the state of the art of MAES in the participating ORs and OCTs, and to mobilize stakeholders in the definition of the case studies and specific contributions to be made by the project

• Task 2.1 – Describing the governance structure and mapping the stakeholder landscape.
  Following a common script, local partners and IRD will collaborate in a) collecting and analyzing documental sources on the institutional MAES framework in place, and the past and ongoing regional activities, b) building a list of institutional and individual stakeholders and c) placing the stakeholders on the MAES landscape
• Task 2.2 – Assessing the state of the art and identifying needs and bottlenecks.
  Semi structured interviews and/or questionnaires with relevant stakeholders will be used to assess the state of the art of MAES, ongoing projects and the perceived needs and bottlenecks. This will be complemented with the results from the analysis of scientific literature from Task 3.1.
• Task 2.3 – Deciding case studies and describing project contributions

Leader: LUH

This is a cross-cutting activity aiming at sharing knowledge and capacities between the ORs and OCTs and Europe mainland. Information collected in the project will be analyzed, integrated, synthesized and structured in order to fulfill the demands of MAES implementation in all EU member states, including the ORs and OCTs as well as marine areas.

• Task 3.1- Scoping and analyzing existing and ongoing studies related to mapping and assessing ecosystems and their services in EU OCTs and ORs
• Task 3.2 – Knowledge integration
  Guidance for knowledge sharing and integration between EU OCTs/ORs and EU mainland The guidance will be used to share knowledge between Europe mainland and the OCTs and ORs in order to support and coordinate MAES implementation
• Task 3.3 – Knowledge sharing
  Build an electronic forum for discussion of issues related to MAES in Europe Overseas. This will be a key instrument within the project, to engage stakeholders and allow the free flow of information and knowledge

Leader: FRCT

Developing and testing the feasibility of MAES in Europe’s Overseas through collaborative and multidisciplinary approaches

• Task 4.1 – Develop and test mapping tools
  Eight regional contributions focusing terrestrial and coastal/marine ecosystem services will be selected and developed in order to address previously identified knowledge gaps and specific stakeholders requests/expectations in these regions by using the multidisciplinary current state-of-the-art in MAES, the available data, and the most advanced tools and models for mapping, assessing, monitoring and valuating ecosystem services.
• Task 4.2 – Test and assess science-policy interface tools
  The current state-of-the-art on Science-Policy Interface Tools (SPIT) and methods will be reviewed and compiled as first step. Secondly, the technical specifications for this “boundary object/organization” (i.e. science-policy interface tool) in the framework of the project (and beyond) will be identified. As third step, a robust spatially-explicit web-based SPIT will be implemented and tested to support multi-stakeholders Ecosystem Services-oriented management using the SeaSketch tool in two selected regional case-studies. Finally, the impacts of the SPIT on knowledge and social interactions (collective learning process) will be assessed (comparative analysis, questionnaire).

Leader: UoP

To review the performance of the tools and procedures tested, and the major constraints for their implementation. To integrate the lessons learned during the project, particularly the reports on the state of the art and on the case studies, in a proposed Strategic Plan for MAES in ORs and OCTs.

• Task 5.1 – Assessment of the performance of MAES tools and approaches
  Review of the tools used for the mapping and science-policy interfaces. A performance matrix will be designed to allow assessing the effectiveness, efficiency and sustainably of the tools according to the needs identified earlier in the project.
• Task 5.2 – Major constraints and solutions for the implementation of MAES tools and approaches
  Discussions with policy makers in the Regions will provide feed-back on the usefulness of the tools, the easiness of their implementation and the likelihood of their use in the future (precision on the set of conditions required). Major constraints as well as feasible solutions will be detailed and discussed. Specificity of regions will be considered.
• Task 5.3 – Outline of MAES strategy

Leader: ABAS

To ensure effective communication and dissemination actions, raising public awareness about Ecosystem Services as well as informing stakeholders, MAES specialists worldwide and general society about the outcomes of the project.

• Task 6.1 – Identity toolkit and electronic presence
  Development of an Identity toolkit, in order to ensure a coherent and harmonized recognition of the Project. A dedicated MAES website will be set up following the EU best practice guidelines and through a process of consultation with the partners. A factsheet of the project will be produced in four languages (English, French, Spanish and Portuguese) A mobile app (IOS / Android), based on actual mobile technologies, will be developed to facilitate intranet communication among MOVE partners as well to enhance forum / blog communication with any stakeholder and general public interested in Ecosystem Services
• Task 6.2 – Dissemination, communication and outreach activities
  Dissemination of the project activities will be done on a weekly basis through the “News” section of the project’s website, propagated in appropriate social media. An email and pdf newsletter will be published every 6 months and sent to the stakeholders and interested members of the public. Press releases will be produced and sent to target media outlets as seen appropriate by the consortium. A report on the dissemination and communication activities will be prepared, to be included in the official project reporting obligations.