Blue Economy: Sharing Success Stories to Inspire Change

Sharing Success Stories to Inspire Change Blue Economy

Figure 7: 3D illustration of coral mounds on the Sula Ridge, from the 2004 Hydro International article. Good illustrations were a key tool when communicatingwith politicians and stakeholders.

for example, were critical when communicating the benefits of sea floor mapping to politicians and stakeholders. The Geological Survey of Canada was the first to develop techniques for mapping habitats using multibeam bathymetry. Using examples from Canada helped to establish MAREANO as a national organisation. Extensive knowledge sharing also took place through the GeoHab network (www.geohab.org) established in 2001, strengthening the scientific basis for the Norwegian proposal and providing case studies of how such information could be applied in environmental management. TheWay Forwardand Lessons Learned MAREANO has now been in operation for 10 years, and has a wealth of valuable experience. The most important lessonwas to involve theusers (primarily management) in all stages of the process – from planning to execution, through to dissemination and the use of the acquired knowledge. Mapping also needs to be adapted to the physical and biological complexity of an area, as well as the needs of the user. This is being done through the process of quantifying complexity, through the development of an Environmental Variability Indicator (van Son et al., 2015). The aim is to get an objectivemeasure of the physical complexity (seabed ruggedness, oceanographic conditions, etc.) of the area and to level the sampling effort accordingly.

new platforms and instruments. In 2015, the use of Autonomous Underwater Vehicles fitted with synthetic aperture sonar and high resolution colour cameras will be trialled. Examples of data from other projects show promising results – for example, the mapping of coral mounds and damage caused by trawl fishing (Figure 8). The long-term plan for MAREANO includes continued mapping of the Barents Sea and the Norwegian Sea, along with several other areas which are being discussed, including the coastal zone and the deep sea. Even though MAREANO operates on an annual budget, the programme is expected to continue to provide essential input to management plans and to society in general for some time to come.

Figure 8: Imagery from Synthetic Aperture Sonar, showing a coral mound (lower right) and numerous trawl marks (curved and straight linear features). Data courtesy of LundinNorway and theNorwegian Defence Research Establishment.

Thirdly, continuous review and improvements of themethodology are crucial. This includes testing

31