What we do
The Interreg Euro-MED ARTEMIS project partners aim to develop solutions for restoring and conserving seagrass meadows in the Mediterranean. This endeavor involves collaboration with multidisciplinary experts from five European countries to achieve the project goals within the projected timeline.
The project started in January 2024 and will end up in June 2026 with a duration of 33 months.
The strategy
To achieve the goals of the ARTEMIS project, several actions are planned and organized in different phases. These actions include the implementation of four transnational pilot projects covering all stages of restoration, from transplantation in degraded areas to the enhancement of protected ones. These pilots will demonstrate technical restoration protocols and establish a baseline for ecosystem service enhancements.
The project will develop and test Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) schemes targeting multiple ecosystem services and create a “cookbook” for scaling these schemes, providing guidelines for replication and adaptation. In terms of policy and governance, ARTEMIS will lead a transnational policy observatory for the integration of seagrass ecosystem services into public and private policies, developing a Euro-Med action plan for seagrass restoration and a roadmap for corporate integration of seagrass ecosystem services.
The project will create an enriched technical toolbox for seagrass restoration, which will include methods for ecosystem service enhancement, and develop an actionable framework for seagrass ecosystem service valuation and storytelling. Finally, ARTEMIS will engage local stakeholders through consultations and awareness campaigns to support restoration activities and PES schemes, while also organizing high-level capitalization events and international conferences to promote seagrass ecosystem service recognition.
To achieve the goals of the ARTEMIS project, a series of actions are planned, structured across different work packages and stages of implementation.
In a nutshell, the key outputs of the ARTEMIS project are:
- Over 2 hectares of seagrass meadows restored;
- 10x returns in ecosystem services;
- €2M additional funding secured via PES agreements;
- Euro-Med action plan and opportunity map for seagrass restoration;
- Technical seagrass restoration toolbox and actionable framework for seagrass valuation;
- Guidelines for seagrass PES ready for use.
