Webinar

Deep-Sea Restoration Webinar Series: Knowing Where to Restore

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.

Restoration of Deep-Sea Habitats to Rebuild European Seas

On 20 February 2025, REDRESS coordinator Roberto Danovaro was invited to the EMB #Third Thursday scientific webinar series to present “Restoration of Deep-Sea Habitats to Rebuild European Seas”. This webinar is linked to the European Marine Board’s Future Science brief on “Deep Sea Research and Management Needs”. Roberto Danovaro highlighted the multiple impacts that act on deep-sea ecosystems and presented examples of restoration interventions. He explained how innovative solutions have enabled successful results to be achieved in the restoration of degraded deep-sea habitats. The session concluded with a question-and-answer session with the audience.

The challenge of the marine ecosystem restoration in EU seas
On May 22nd, 2024, from 14:00 to 15:00 CEST, the Atlantic & Arctic Weekly Hour features the MERCES and REDRESS Projects (https://bluemissionaa.eu/news/aalh-wh-17/). Professor Roberto Danovaro presents ecosystem restoration efforts that have expanded rapidly in multiple marine habitats. The availability of new approaches and technologies is allowing restoration interventions from shallow to deep-sea environments. New monitoring tools allow to follow the restoration trajectories and create new opportunities, but effective restoration science and practice require a careful assessment of the success and failures to incentivize public and private investments.