Based on:
Disclaimer:All the following information is based on the BlueInvest Investor Report, which combines market data with results from an investor survey conducted by BlueInvest. BlueInvest is a European Commission initiative launched in 2019 with the aim to accelerate new ocean-based technologies and solutions to unlock innovation and investment opportunities in the sustainable Blue Economy. It is funded by the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF).
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION & REGENERATION
Definition for the sector
Environmental protection and regeneration of marine environments, including activities to prevent ocean pollution and restore and strengthen biodiversity in coastal areas.
Protecting the natural environment is a main focus area. This includes monitoring water environment conditions according to physical, chemical and biological parameters, noise, air pollution and land- or sea-based sources of litter (e.g. single-use plastics and fishing gear) that may harm the environment, the health of organisms and economic structures. Actions should ensure a favourable conservation status for ecosystems where habitats are of sufficient size and quality, and species populations are large enough to ensure survival in the medium to long term.
Regeneration and the restoration of biodiversity to improve the health and resilience of coastal ecosystems is another major focus area. Activities are primarilyin coral reefs, mangroves and seagrass beds, and to a lesser extent, beaches, sand dunes, salt marshes and lagoons. While regeneration aims at more resilient and diverse ecosystems, restoration focuses on returning an ecosystem to its original state after damage or degradation.
DDC Strategy - Digitalize, Decarbonize, Circularise
Environmental protection and regeneration is critical to tackling the mounting environmental pressures we face on our planet. Green transition for this sector refers to the integration of marine ecosystem preservation and ocean pollution control within all economic activities. Developments should enable the blue economy to thrive while conserving and regenerating the marine environment, ensuring a just and inclusive transition for future generations.
Fórum Oceano Services for the sector
Business development and internationalization: market intelligence services; organization of business missions and matchmaking; support for investment initiatives; creation of ESG entrepreneurship and business acceleration programmes; support for business internationalization.
Business acceleration, entrepreneurship, digitalization and ESG innovation: implementation of European and extra-European projects focused on innovation ecosystems and networks; support services for the creation of ESG business models; ESG impact assessment services for companies and technologies; support for business financing; support for access to infrastructures for testing ESG technologies, products, and services.
Training, education, and literacy: Creation of technical and higher education training solutions; Development of blue literacy initiatives linked to ESG youth entrepreneurship and knowledge of ESG blue economy professions.
Organizing events and actions to communicate the ESG blue economy: Disseminating knowledge and good practices, fostering collaboration between stakeholders, and highlighting emerging opportunities in the ESG blue economy.
Strategic studies and public policy: Conducting strategic studies to define municipal, regional and national blue economy strategies.
Value Chain
Key Innovations and Technologies
| Innovation | Description | Value Proposition |
|---|---|---|
| Smart devices for environmental data collection | Underwater sensors and robots and technologies that collect real-time data on the health of ecosystems. | More informed decision-making towards biodiversity protection, environmental pollution and ocean sustainability. |
| Monitoring for ocean protection | Platforms using AI and big data to monitor environmental impact on the ocean: wildlife detection, marine data gathering, mapping and quantification of environmental parameters. | Rapidity and ease of transforming quantitative and qualitative data into actionable insights to help solve problems linked to ocean pollution, biodiversity and coastal protection. |
| Solutions to prevent ocean plastic pollution | Solutions include the creation of artificial shorelines to mitigate plastic concentration and floating devices that prevent plastic waste in rivers from entering the sea. | Lowers the risk of entanglement or ingestion of plastic waste by marine animals, helping to curb marine biodiversity loss. |
| Carbon removal technologies | Carbon storage in the deep-sea floor in the form of organic compounds, used as carbon credits or the conversion of CO2 into high-value products for multiple industries. | Can greatly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contribute to decarbonisation, and produce renewable geothermal energy and building materials, among other products. |
| Nature-based solutions (NBS) to restore and regenerate marine environments | Solutions include structures to protect endangered areas; restoration and regeneration of different marine habitats such as coral reefs and mapping of current and future environment scenarios. | Enables the protection, sustainable management and/or restoration of natural ecosystems (e.g. via artificial reef structures aimed at accelerating reef creation), and in parallel addresses societal challenges such as climate change, human health, food and water security, and disaster risk reduction. |
| Biodiversity monitoring technologies | Bioacoustics and environmental DNA technologies that gather biodiversity data and wildlife insights and monitor biodiversity status. | Helps to overcome labour-intensive challenges of traditional wildlife surveyance by facilitating the analysis of large quantities of data and delivering more accurate results, supporting the protection of endangered species. |
Fórum Oceano Associates - Environmental Protection & Regeneration Sector
Environmental Protection & Regeneration Markets Data
Blue Economy Barometer
Hub Azul Dealroom
Euronext Lisbon
Blue Invest
Fórum Oceano is the managing entity of the Portuguese Sea Cluster, certified and recognised by the Ministry of Economy and the Sea, the Ministry of National Defence and the Ministry of Planning and Infrastructure.
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