Line of action:

Knowledge generation and management

Status:

En ejecución

Execution date:

2023

End date:

2026

Project web page:

https://www.biodiversa.eu/2023/04/19/eurosyng/

EUROSYNG’s overall objective is to act as a global catalyst for the implementation of WCC-2020-Res-095, which will enable the EU to lead the process of effective protection of syngnathids and their natural habitats.

Its main objectives are:

1. Implement the first systematic transnational census, obtaining a more complete picture of European syngnathid distributions.
2. Generate updated range maps for all European syngnathids, while projecting distributions under different climate change scenarios.
3. Measuring syngnathid genetic diversity and population health.
4. Evaluate the suitability of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) for syngnathid conservation.
5. Detect and quantify the impacts of interactions and synergies between economic activities and syngnathid conservation.
6. Quantify the outcome of the participation of citizens and other stakeholders in the study, ensuring the protection and management of syngnathids and their habitats.
7. Develop new tools for syngnathid conservation.
8. Raise awareness among political actors, students and the general public about conservation and climate change, with emphasis on syngnathids.

EUROSYNG will analyze the present, past and future of syngnathids by: conducting censuses of all extant syngnathid species; collecting museum data; and forecasting species distribution under different climate change scenarios. Using minimally invasive tissue samples, thousands of genomes will be investigated to determine the demographic history of syngnathid populations and their local adaptation. Community monitoring and citizen science programs will be established to assess syngnathid populations, along with a first socioeconomic study of the impact of syngnathids on the local economy. In addition, the impacts of new ecotourism activities will be quantified and a remote monitoring system will be developed for the MPAs.

EUROSYNG is the first project to promote, throughout Europe, an integrated and transdisciplinary approach to improve knowledge on syngnathid conservation ecology, and to deploy coordinated work on a continental scale (Norwegian Sea, Baltic Sea, North Sea, English Channel, Bay of Biscay, Atlantic Cantabrian coasts, western and eastern Mediterranean and Adriatic Sea). By involving MPA managers, non-governmental organizations, scientists, students, politicians and society at large, EUROSYNG will stimulate the creation of efficient management actions across Europe.

While the data produced will enable the EU to take the lead in meeting the requirements introduced by WCC-2020-Res-095, EUROSYNG will also be relevant to the countries sampled, enabling national red listing of their own syngnathid species and at the same time providing a clear picture of the health of their marine habitats.