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SEBAM. Monitoring and dissemination of the ecosystem services of mussel rafts in the marine environment.

Pleamar program

The SEBAM project focuses on the analysis of mussel farming in rafts from the perspective of environmental research in aquaculture, evaluating the ecosystem services that this activity generates in the marine environment. Through a multidisciplinary approach, environmental, oceanographic and socio-economic information will be collected and analysed in order to improve knowledge about the role of rafts as structures that contribute to the generation of habitat, the increase of associated biodiversity and the regulation of ecological processes in the marine environment.

The project will integrate different sources of information to characterize the contribution of mussel farming to the environmental sustainability of coastal zones, including aspects such as the improvement of water quality, the support of associated biological communities and its role as blue infrastructure. The results obtained will facilitate the evaluation of the role of mussel farming within the marine ecosystem and its compatibility with the conservation of habitats and species.

The information generated will be integrated into an open platform and an interactive digital atlas that will allow the ecosystem services of mussel farming to be visualised and facilitate access to the results of the project. This tool will be aimed at the mussel farming sector, public administrations, the scientific community and citizens, contributing to improving decision-making in the field of marine management and sustainable aquaculture.

In addition, the project contemplates transfer and participation actions aimed at agents in the sector and the territory, in order to disseminate the environmental and socio-economic benefits associated with mussel farming and promote its integration into conservation and development strategies of the blue economy. In this way, SEBAM will contribute to strengthening the recognition of mussel farming as an aquaculture activity compatible with the protection of the marine environment and aligned with the objectives of sustainability and biodiversity conservation.

Line of action:

Marine ecosystems

Status:

En ejecución

Location

Galicia

Research line

Axis 6. Environmental Research Aquaculture

Execution date:

2026

End date:

2028

Project web page:

https://www.programapleamar.es/proyectos/sebam-monitoreo-y-difusion-de-los-servicios-ecosistemicos-de-las-bateas-de-mejillon-en-el

The general objective of the SEBAM project is to identify, characterise and value the ecosystem services associated with mussel farming on the Galician coast, evidencing their environmental, socio-economic and cultural contribution to the marine ecosystem. The initiative aims to improve scientific and technical knowledge on the role of mussel farming in the functioning of the marine environment, generating structured information that allows these benefits to be integrated into the sustainable management of the coast, marine planning and decision-making by the sector and administrations. Likewise, SEBAM seeks to reinforce the recognition of mussel farming as an activity aligned with the conservation of biodiversity, the improvement of environmental quality and the development of sustainable aquaculture.

The project consists of the following specific objectives:

OE1. Identify and characterize the main ecosystem services associated with mussel raft farming, including provision, regulation, support, and cultural services.
OE2. Collect, integrate and analyse oceanographic, ecological and socio-economic information related to rafts and their environment, in order to assess their contribution to the functioning of the marine ecosystem and associated biodiversity.
OE3. Develop a structured knowledge base on the environmental role of rafts by organizing and processing the data collected.
OE4. To design and implement an open platform and an interactive digital atlas that allows visualizing and disseminating the ecosystem services of mussel farming and its distribution on the Galician coast.
OE5. Transfer the results to the mussel farming sector, public administrations and other key agents through participatory and dissemination actions that favour the integration of the knowledge generated in the sustainable management of the marine environment.

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SEBAM. Monitoring and dissemination of the ecosystem services of mussel rafts in the marine environment.