About PERSEUS

PERSEUS is a policy-oriented, marine research project, funded under the EU Seventh Framework Programme, aimed at supporting regional policymakers for the Southern European Seas (SES).

What changes are occurring in our ecosystems, why and what measures can we take to turn back the tide on marine degradation? This is the focus of PERSEUS and science plays the leading role.

Characterised by innovation and a global perspective, the PERSEUS research project represents the combined expertise of both marine and socioeconomic scientists from Europe and beyond. This distinguished community of experts, 54 partners, from 22 countries, are working together towards a common goal: Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Mediterranean and Black Seas.

The Project's objectives aim far and wide, beginning with a wide-scale study area from basin to coast in these two historical seas, to identify the changing patterns in marine ecosystems. The toxic effects of land/sea pollution on marine life are a well-known fact. However, for the first time, PERSEUS is investigating the interactions between human-induced and natural pressures determined to assess their combined impact on marine ecosystems and what we can expect in socioeconomic terms, if we don't take action.

Innovative tools including satellite observations and a prototype vessel for very shallow waters represent a breakthrough approach for acquiring data.

The research results will provide the solid, scientific foundation to develop new tools for the policymaker, including scenario-based management schemes, as well as a framework of adaptive policies for implementation by countries in the region to meet the objectives of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive.