On 7 May 2026, SER-Europe and the REDRESS Project hosted the first session of their joint webinar series, Restoring the Deep, opening with the question at the heart of any restoration effort: where do we begin?
Moderated by Sahar Stevenson-Jones (SER-Europe), the session brought together leading voices in deep-sea ecology and restoration science.
Setting the scene: Lophelia corals in the North Sea
Prof. Murray Roberts and Simone D’Alessandro, both from the University of Edinburgh, presented their work on the restoration of Lophelia pertusa cold-water corals in the North Sea. Their talks covered the critical role of rigorous data collection and long-term monitoring and highlighted how understanding genetic connectivity between coral populations is essential for designing restoration interventions that are ecologically meaningful and resilient.
Round table discussion
The presentations were followed by a lively audience Q&A with two additional panelists: Roberto Danovaro (Polytechnic University of Marche, REDRESS Project Coordinator) and Sabine Gollner (Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research – NIOZ). Together, the panel tackled audience questions spanning science, policy, and the practical challenges of restoring deep-sea ecosystems.
The session drew strong participation from across the REDRESS consortium, the project’s Advisory Board, the European Commission, and a wide community of researchers, institutions, and associations working on marine restoration worldwide.
The recording will be available via the SER webinar library and the REDRESS website soon. Stay tuned for Part 2 of the series.