The First Training Course in Marine Restoration of the Mediterranean, a joint MERCES and AFRIMED project event, took place the first week of September 2019 in beautiful Tricase Porto (Apulia region, Italy). Our staff and a dozen participants from Italy, the UK and Turkey were kindly hosted in the facilities of AvampostoMare, CIHEAMBari and Porto Museo di Tricase.
This summer school was dedicated to the university students (e.g. PhD students, master’s degree, bachelor’s degree).
The first day has focused on building the context in which the course will unfold. AFRIMED coordinator Roberto Danovaro introduced the concepts of restoration, BlueGrowth and sustainable development – stressing how global challenges need global responses, stemming from basic science and all the way up to applied research and socio-economic implications. Jean-Baptiste Ledoux provided an in-depth analysis of themes linked to population genetics and restoration, on the backdrop of ecosystem functioning and changing scenarios. Carlo Cerrano closed the day talking about ecosystem engineers and their key role for marine restoration.