DAERA/PEACEPLUS: Marine and Coastal Management

Overview

Investment Area 5.2 - Marine and Coastal Management

Background

The marine and coastal environment plays an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Coastal habitats such as sand dunes, salt marshes, seagrass, kelp and shellfish beds are nature-based solutions that provide coastal protection and carbon storage. There is increasing recognition of the need to protect and restore these habitats. Marine renewable energy provides opportunities to transition towards the net zero emissions target, however decision support tools are needed to ensure development proposals consider potential impacts to marine environment.

The marine environment is transboundary in nature and is well suited for cross-border collaboration. The extent and severity of the situations to be addressed differs across the Programme Area. On this basis, area-based studies will be required to develop bespoke, place-based solutions. This collaboration will result in an improved performance in achieving related targets set at national and European levels. It will deliver economic, social and environmental benefits, with the view to have a sustainable, lasting legacy across the Programme Area.

Objective of this call

This objective will enable a cross-border approach to the protection of the marine and coastal environment from potentially damaging human activities and support the development of climate change adaption plans which will increase the resilience of ecosystems, coastal communities, infrastructure and the marine economy. It will promote climate change adaptation and sustainable marine and coastal management.

It will result in improved knowledge and management of the transboundary marine environment, and a Programme Area which is more resilient and responsive to climate change and threats from human activities.

An indicative budget allocation has been set at €24.8 million for this Call.

Anticipated Achievements

The marine and coastal environment plays an important role in climate change adaptation and mitigation. Coastal habitats such as sand dunes, salt marshes, seagrass, kelp and shellfish beds are nature-based solutions that provide coastal protection and carbon storage. There is increasing recognition of the need to protect and restore these habitats. Marine renewable energy provides opportunities to transition towards the net zero emissions target, however decision support tools are needed to ensure development proposals consider potential impacts to marine environment.

The marine environment is transboundary in nature and is well suited for cross-border collaboration. The extent and severity of the situations to be addressed differs across the Programme Area. On this basis, area-based studies will be required to develop bespoke, place-based solutions. This collaboration will result in an improved performance in achieving related targets set at national and European levels. It will deliver economic, social and environmental benefits, with the view to have a sustainable, lasting legacy across the Programme Area.

This includes activities addressing:

• Coastal change: Improved evidence-based knowledge and understanding of the rate of coastal change and coastal vulnerability, including better understanding of hydrographical conditions in the nearshore zone, impacts of significant infrastructure developments, seafloor habitat types and seafloor integrity. This evidence should inform policy and practices, resulting in more resilient coastal areas.
• Climate and pelagic systems: Improved evidence-based knowledge and understanding of coastal, oceanographic and sediment transport dynamics in the changing climate context, including effects of key climactic drivers on pelagic habitats and foodwebs; improved knowledge of current impacts and impact of potential climate change scenarios on seabirds and other key species and habitats; improved understanding of the risks to and impacts upon the pelagic ecosystem and human activities reliant upon it including fisheries and conservation; and improvement in the effectiveness of monitoring of marine life and habitats.
• Natural capital, habitats and human: Improved understanding of coastal and marine habitats and their role as nature based solutions to climate change adaptation and mitigation; Improved evidence based knowledge to support decision-making in marine spatial planning, fisheries management, marine protected area identification and management, and support of the recovery and/or restoration of impacted habitat types; Improved awareness of the impact of marine litter and the benefits of reducing inputs through a circular economy; expanding understanding of human activities (besides fishing) on marine habitats and generation of innovative methodologies for assessing habitat condition.
• Local action to protect marine biodiversity and coastal and marine heritage: Improved sense of local and transboundary responsibility regarding marine biodiversity and heritage, including understanding population trends of protected species and human impacts. Improved understanding of underwater cultural heritage resources to support marine planning, heritage asset management and improved public awareness and appreciation with the aim of better outcomes for communities and the marine environment.

Anticipated Actions

The programme will encompass four thematic areas:

1. Cross-border, place-based marine protection and coastal action plans;
2. cross-border climate and pelagic systems studies;
3. cross-border natural capital, habitats, and human behaviour management plans;
4. and local actions.

Actions should be developed thematically but may address multiple themes through a strategic, collaborative approach, and may include the following:

• Coastal change: Activities which develop an improved evidence base for coastal change and pilot programmes, for example projects that provide modelling solutions or interventions for coastal habitat recovery / restoration. Activities leading to the development of local adaptation and resilience plans demonstrating the application and role of nature-based solutions, and the development and implementation of teaching and awareness raising resources.
• Climate and pelagic systems: Activities contributing to an improved evidence base for climate impacts on pelagic habitats and food webs, and the management of these, based on oceanographic and hydrodynamic modelling, enhanced monitoring/sampling activities, and development of assessment and evaluation methods. Development of transboundary action plans on climate and pelagic systems.
• Natural capital, habitats and human behaviour: Improved evidence base on issues such as marine bird activities, scope for offshore renewable energy and benthic habitat. Mapping of existing services and action plans across themes such as marine ecosystem services and geohazards, and surveys to improve the evidence base of underwater cultural heritage and historic environment records. Improve the understanding of marine litter impacts and develop a joint practical strategy supporting circular economy principles to reduce these impacts.
• Local action to protect marine biodiversity and coastal and marine heritage: Activities that foster community participation in the protection, conservation and restoration of marine biodiversity and coastal/marine heritage, including the benefits of such action for climate change adaptation and resilience (e.g. nature-based solutions). This will include public engagement, citizen participation, community action and behaviour change solutions.

Eligibility

Who is eligible to apply

• National, regional and local authorities;
• Regional and local development agencies, chambers of commerce;
• Universities, colleges, higher education, research institutions;
• Non-governmental organisations (NGOs);
• Sectoral agencies and business support organisations;
• Voluntary sector organisations;
• Other relevant public-like organisations contributing to the development of the Programme Area;
• Private sector – specifically micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large companies.

Please note the above is not an exhaustive list, other bodies may be considered eligible.

Programme Area

The Programme Area for the PEACEPLUS Programme is:

• Northern Ireland;
• The border counties of Ireland (Counties Cavan, Donegal, Leitrim, Louth, Monaghan and Sligo).

This is the core Programme Area. The Programme, however, has flexible geography beyond its administrative borders called a Functional Area. This allows for organisations and institutions not based in the core Programme Area to get involved in projects by linking with partners within the core area. The benefits of such collaborations must be significant for the core Programme Area.