Biodiversa application - Mesophotic coral monitoring system

Important results from the project

We created a strategic concept with an international and interdisciplinary group for the monitoring of mesophotic coral ecosystems. This "MesoGenView" consortium is comprised of partners from Sweden, Italy, Philippines, etc. Here we combine techniques with molecular biology and automated species recognition to drive conservation efforts. With the concept and strategy we built up, we will submit these to obtain long term funding from grants such as Biodiversa+ and EU Horizon.

Expected long term effects

We anticipate we would obtain financial support for the MesoGenView concept. The initial funding would help us build the momentum we need to proceed. In the long run, this consortium is intended to aid in sustainable management of marine resources via trusted and reliable methods. In this scenario, we would be commissioned by NGOs and government agencies around the world to investigate the health of mesophotic coral ecosystems. Our findings would aid in scientifically driven policy decisions.

Approach and implementation

We sought out the actors we needed and presented them the overall idea of MesoGenView to gain their initial interest. Once they expressed commitment to participate in the Biodiversa+ call, through regular meeting we built up the concept based on our expertise and resources. We also travelled to meet the partners in Italy and Philippines. We carried out a small pilot study on how we would standardize the different methods in the laboratory starting with the extraction of DNA from coral samples.