After two and a half years of research, fieldwork, knowledge exchange and collaboration across the Mediterranean, the Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project has come to an end.
At the centre of the project were four Mediterranean pilot sites, where partners tested restoration approaches under different ecological and socio-economic conditions. But ARTEMIS was never only about restoring seagrass in the water. Over the course of the project, it also explored how restoration can be supported by governance, financing mechanisms, stakeholder engagement, knowledge exchange and emerging approaches for recognising the value of nature.
The result is a body of knowledge, tools and experience designed to support the continued application and replication of Mediterranean seagrass restoration beyond the lifetime of the project.
Four pilot sites, different approaches, one shared objective
Seagrass meadows are among the most valuable ecosystems of the Mediterranean Sea. They provide habitat for marine species, contribute to biodiversity, store carbon, help maintain water quality and sediments, and support the resilience of coastal ecosystems. Yet these ecosystems are under pressure from multiple human activities and environmental changes. Restoring them requires approaches that are adapted to local ecological conditions and that address the pressures responsible for their degradation.
ARTEMIS therefore worked across four Mediterranean pilot sites, testing different restoration and protection approaches for two important seagrass species: Posidonia oceanica and Cymodocea nodosa. Three pilot sites focused on active and passive restoration of Posidonia oceanica, while the fourth explored passive restoration of Cymodocea nodosa. The different approaches allowed partners to compare methodologies and understand how restoration strategies can be adapted to different contexts.
Across the three active Posidonia oceanica restoration sites, a total of 4,400 cuttings were transplanted :
1,300 cuttings, 100 m2 in Greece | 2,000 cuttings, 2000m2 in Italy | 1,100 cuttings, 1800m2 in Spain
The work demonstrated that there is no single restoration method that can simply be replicated everywhere. Site characteristics, ecological conditions, existing pressures, available resources and local management frameworks all influence the choice of approach.
For ARTEMIS, restoration was therefore not simply a question of putting plants back into the sea. It was about understanding where restoration is appropriate, which methodologies can be applied, how restoration can be monitored, and what conditions are needed for ecosystems to recover over the long term.
ARTEMIS closes with more than restoration activities completed at four pilot sites. It leaves behind methodologies, practical tools, policy recommendations, financing approaches, knowledge exchanges and a network of actors working towards a common objective.
The project has shown that restoring Mediterranean seagrasses requires more than technical intervention. It requires knowledge, governance, long-term financing, stakeholder engagement and stronger connections between those who manage, use and invest in natural ecosystems.
The work does not end with the project. The ARTEMIS results and tools remain available to support their continued application and replication, while the experience gained through the pilots can contribute to future restoration initiatives across the Mediterranean.
Our heartfelt thanks go to the entire partnership, whose active engagement gave ARTEMIS its strong visibility across the region and carried the voice of seagrass restoration to new audiences.
Explore the results, share them, and put them to work.
The ARTEMIS Communication Team
THE LEGACY OF ARTEMIS
2. Policy recommendations
3. Restoration toolbox
4. Action Plan
5. Investment Roadmap for Corporate
6. Guide for stakeholder engagement and communication
1. Seagrass Credit System Cookbook
The project investigated Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) and explored the potential of emerging nature-credit approaches as complementary mechanisms for supporting biodiversity restoration. The Seagrass Credit System Cookbook contributes to this discussion by examining how credible seagrass credits could be developed and what conditions would be needed to ensure that financing mechanisms remain grounded in measurable ecological outcomes.
2. Policy recommendations
ARTEMIS therefore worked on recommendations and frameworks aimed at helping public authorities integrate seagrass restoration and ecosystem protection into wider management approaches. The project also worked with the four pilot authorities to support the uptake and endorsement of the solutions developed through ARTEMIS.
3. Restoration toolbox
The toolbox provides practical knowledge and resources to support organisations and practitioners interested in seagrass restoration. It brings together methodologies, lessons learned and experience from the ARTEMIS pilots, making the knowledge generated through the project available beyond the four locations where the work took place. Making these resources publicly available is an important part of ARTEMIS’s legacy: the end of the project does not mean the end of access to the knowledge developed through it.
