1. General information
Location and description of the intervention
City or FUA
Lisboa (FUA)
Region
Europe
Short description of the intervention
Seaweeds are of immense value to marine ecosystems, and Kelp, the largest of them all, forms spectacular underwater forests that provide habitat for fish, clean the water, and sequester carbon. Unfortunately, large swathes of these subaquatic forests have disappeared from the coasts of many European countries, including Portugal (Ref. 2).
The "Sea Forester" project in Cascais aims to restore local kelp forests, which are essential for marine biodiversity and carbon sequestration. In collaboration with the Câmara Municipal de Cascais and Mossy Earth (social enterprise), the project assesses the historical and current state of seaweed populations and identifies environmental stressors. It employs innovative techniques like the "green gravel" method to restore kelp ecosystems. This project supports the region’s blue economy and resilience to climate change through carbon offsetting and enhanced ecosystem services (Ref 1; 6; 7). Supported by the EEA Innovation Grant, it combines scientific research and community engagement, positioning Cascais as a leader in marine conservation efforts (Ref 6).
Website of the intervention
https://www.seaforester.org/projects
Principal problems
Environmental Degradation
Biodiversity loss
Poor water quality
Resource Scarcity and Competition
Over-exploitation of natural resources (water resources, overgrazing, fisheries, mangroves, fore products)
Implementation area characterization
Climate
Temperate ( Humid subtropical, Hot-summer Mediterranean, Warm-summer Mediterranean, Warm-temperate with dry winter)
Ecosystem
Shallow waters (saline)
Address

2750
2750-011 Cascais
Portugal

Location
Point location, which indicates where the NBS takes place
Area boundary (map-based)
Area description
Seascape
Type of area before implementation of the NBS
Sea coast (e.g. dunes, beach)
Timeline of intervention
Start date of the intervention (planning process)
2019
Start date of intervention (implementation process)
2019
Present stage of the intervention
Ongoing
Objectives of the intervention
Goals of the intervention
1. Restore Kelp Forests: Recover and reestablish local kelp populations along the Cascais coastline. (Ref 1)
2. Enhance Marine Biodiversity: Support the restoration of marine ecosystems and their biodiversity. (Ref 1)
3. Carbon Sequestration: Mitigate climate change by promoting forestation, which increases carbon capture (Ref 4).
4. Assess Environmental Stressors: Identify and address factors inhibiting natural kelp recovery (Ref 6).
5. Test Innovative Techniques: Implement and evaluate innovative methods, such as the "green gravel" technique, for effective deforestation (Ref 4).
Key Priorities
Climate action (adaptation and/or mitigation)
Biodiversity (conservation and/or restoration)
Sustainability challenge(s) addressed
Climate action for adaptation, resilience and mitigation (SDG 13)
Climate change mitigation
Coastal resilience and marine protection (SDG 14)
Marine and coastal biodiversity protection
Marine and coastal research and/or education
Climate change mitigation: What activities are implemented to realize the conservation goals and targets?
Protect and restore coastal wetlands, mangroves and salt marshes, aiming at sequestering carbon dioxide and storing it in their soils
Implementation activities and NBS focus
Implementation activities
1. Baseline assessment of kelp populations. (Ref 1)
2. Identification of environmental stressors inhibiting kelp recovery. (Ref 1)
3. Testing of innovative restoration methods such as green gravel (in-lab growing of green gravel as small, seeded rocks using Laminaria ochroleuca, to be later on spread in the ocean floor for natural reflorestation) (Ref 4).
6. Ongoing monitoring and evaluation of restoration success (Ref 3).
The Sea Forester project restores kelp forests in Cascais to reverse biodiversity loss and boost carbon sequestration, contributing to climate mitigation.
Type of NBS project
Coastal landscape management or protection
Coastal ecosystems restoration and maintenance (mangroves, dunes, saltplains, underwater meadows)
Improving coastal resilience
Ecological restoration of ecosystems
Restoration of wetlands (other types than peatlands and mangroves, e.g. seagrass)
Monitoring and maintenance of habitats and/or biodiversity
Species-specific monitoring and conservation programs
NBS domain and interventions
Ecological domain(s) where the NBS intervention(s) is/are implemented
Blue infrastructure
Coastlines
Other
Please specify "other blue area"
Kelp forest (underwater)
Amenities offered by the NBS
Unknown
Design elements for well-being
None of the above
Services
Expected ecosystem services delivered
Regulating services
Carbon storage/sequestration
Habitat and supporting services
Habitats for species
Scale
Spatial scale
Unknown
Beneficiaries
Demographics in implementation area
Not applicable
Socio-economic profile of the area
Unknown
Communities vulnerable to environmental hazards or climate change impacts
Unknown
Non-government actors
Public sector institution (e.g. school or hospital)
Non-governmental organisation (NGO) / Civil society / Churches
Researchers, university
Citizens or community groups
Social enterprise
Primary Beneficiaries
Researchers/University
Coastal-dependent communities (e.g. small-scale fishers, coastal farmers, and indigenous peoples)
Specify primary beneficiaries
Coastal-dependent communities benefit from the Sea Forester project through enhanced fish stocks, improved coastal protection, diversified livelihood opportunities, and the preservation of cultural and environmental heritage (Ref 4).
Marginalized groups
Unknown
Other beneficiaries
Local wildlife (e.g., birds, pollinators)
Native plant vegetation
Endangered species (flora and fauna)
Natural habitats (e.g. wetland, forests, coastal areas)
Ecosystem services (e.g. improved air quality, water purification)
Governance
Governance arrangements
Led by non-government actors
Please specify the roles of the specific government and non-government actor groups involved in the initiative
The initiative is carried out by Sea Forester (implementation and management work). Overall, the project cooperates with local communities and the Câmara Municipal de Cascais, and during the several project phases, it involves close partnerships with NGOs, universities, scientific research institutes, and social enterprises (Ref 1). The full list of actors and project phases includes:
(1) Kelp restoration trial:
Actors: Sea Forester, Clube Naval de Cascais (local maritime club) (Ref. 1)
Funding: Mossy Earth (Ref. 1)
(2) Green Gravel Portugal:
Actors: Sea Forester, Instituto Politecnico de Leiria (educational actor), MARE (center for scientific research)
Funding: WWF
(3) Seaforest Portugal:
Actors: Sea Forester, CIIMAR, CCMAR, Universidade da Madeira, Politecnico de Leiria, Universidade de Evora, MARE.
Key actors - initiating organization
Non-government organisation/civil society
Key actors - Other stakeholders involved (besides initiating actors)
Local government/municipality
Public sector institution
Non-government organisation/civil society
Citizens or community group
Researchers/university
Multilateral organisation
Stages of citizen and community engagement
On-the-ground implementation
Reporting and dissemination of project results
Level of citizen and community engagement
Moderate
Community empowerment or capacity-building initiatives
Implementation of educational programs, workshops or trainings
Formation of community-led groups responsible for the the implementation, maintenace or monitoring of the project
Participatory methods/forms of stakeholder involvement (all stakeholders)
Dissemination of information and education
Joint implementation (e.g. tree planting)
Uncommon actors ("Missing actors")
Public Services
Schools
Other
Please specify other missing actor
Scientific research institutes
Land owners
Public space owned by the city
Policy drivers
NBS intervention implemented in response to a Regional Directive/Strategy
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a national regulations/strategy/plan
Unknown
NBS intervention implemented in response to a local regulation/strategy/plan
Unknown
Mandatory or voluntary intervention
Voluntary (spontaneous)
Enablers & Barriers
Type of enablers
NGOs/Community groups driving the implementation
NBS research project (e.g., H2020, Urban Living Labs, national research projects)
Please provide details (e.g, name of the plan or strategy) for the selected policies or initiatives.
The project has been driven by research and has had several consecutive projects: "Kelp restoration trial", "Green Gravel Portugal", Seaforest Portugal (Ref. 1).
Governace and decison-making instruments
Educational and knowledge sharing instruments (e.g. science/ living labs, awareness raising campaigns, specific educational programs, green hubs)
Arrangements for governance cooperation
Unknown
Barriers
The Sea Forester project encountered challenges such as limited financial resources, reliance on innovative but untested restoration techniques, and potential environmental stressors hindering kelp regrowth. Additionally, securing long-term community engagement and overcoming logistical hurdles, such as scaling the restoration process, posed ongoing challenges (Ref 1; 3).
Financing
Total cost
€100,000 - €500,000
Please specify total cost (EUR)
202 938
What is/was the Cost/Budget (EUR) of the NBS or green infrastructure elements?
Unknown
Source(s) of funding
Funds provided by non-governmental organization (NGO)
Crowdfunding
Private Foundation/Trust
Type of fund(s) used
Direct funding (grants, subsidies, or self-financed projects by private entities)
Donations
Non-financial contribution
Unknown
Co-finance for NBS
Yes
Co-governance arrangement
Unknown
Entrepreneurship opportunities
Unknown
Business models
Business models
Green densification model
Green education model
Which of the involved actors was motivated by this model?
Private non-for-profit actor (e.g. NGO, foundation)
Impacts, benefits
Environmental impacts
Climate change
Enhanced carbon sequestration
Expected enhanced carbon sequestration
Green space and habitat
Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Reduced biodiversity loss
Expected reduced biodiversity loss
Increased number of species present
Achieved increased number of species present
Description of environmental benefits
-Enhanced carbon sequestration; Reduced biodiversity loss: "restoring kelp or seaweed forests gives us an opportunity to not only capture carbon in a different way but also to spread our impact to marine ecosystems and positively affect biodiversity in those areas" (Ref 4)
- Increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems: "Identify potential environmental stressors that inhibit the natural recovery of seaweeds" (Ref 1)
-Increased number of species present: "Test best planting / seeding techniques for endemic seaweeds" (Ref 1)
Economic impacts
Unknown
Description of economic benefits
Unknown
Social and cultural impacts
Education
Increased support for education and scientific research
Achieved increased support for education and scientific research
Unknown
Description of social and cultural benefits
-Increased support for education and scientific research: "This project involves carrying out a trial to test the “spore bag” seeding technique to bring back golden kelp (Laminaria ochroleuca) to the coast of Cascais, Portugal where it used to be very abundant." This particular test was a failed attempt and prompted a new project focused on "green gravel" that proved to be much more successful at promoting kelp forest growth (Ref 1, 2, 3). Regarding the green gravel project: "The project applies green gravel as small, seeded rocks using Laminaria ochroleuca as the target species. We explore current limitations of the technique and ways to optimise its effectiveness." (Ref. 2)
Evidence for use of assessment
Presence of an assessment, evaluation and/or monitoring process
Yes
Actors involved in the assessment, monitoring or evaluation of NBS impacts
Non-government organisation/civil society
Presence of indicators used in reporting
Yes
Type of indicators
Progress indicators
Outcome indicators
Presence of monitoring/evaluation reports
No evidence in public records
Availability of a web-based monitoring tool
No evidence in public records
Name of any specific impact assessment tools
Unknown
Use of GIS in mapping impacts
No evidence in public records
Cost-benefit analysis
Unknown
Transparency
Meetings with stakeholders’ representatives
Clear communication channels for stakeholders to provide feedback, raise concerns, and ask questions about the project
Justice
Community satisfaction
Unknown
Description of locals satisfaction with the project
Unknown
Trade-offs & Negative impacts
Unknown
Emphasis of existing social inequalities or injustices
No information reported related to negative social justice-related impacts of the NBS project
Measures to prevent gentrification or displacement
Unknown
High-quality & Transformative NBS
Multiple impacts delivery (climate, biodiversity, just community)
No
Goal setting and impacts delivery
No, project goals were not set, and benefits were not delivered in all 3 key areas.
Reaching original project goals
Some of the project goals were achieved
Long-term perspective
Yes
Cost-effective solutions
Unknown
Equitable impacts
C. Unknown
Transformative capacity
Ecological change (e.g. ecosystem functions and their distribution)
Technical change (e.g. built infrastructure of cities and their parts, roads, buildings and so on)
Magnitude of change
Reformist: by focusing on addressing underlying drivers of change but failing to address the problem structurally or systemically
Application of lessons learned
Unknown
Perception of Environmental Change
Unknown
References
1.
SeaForester (n.d.). Seaforest Cascais. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
2.
Mossy Earth (n.d.). Kelp Restoration Trial. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
3.
Mossy Earth (2023). Our Kelp Forest Has Sprung to Life! - here’s how we did it. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
4.
Mossy Earth (2021). Bringing back the Lost Kelp Forests of Europe - Project Vlog. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
5.
Araújo, R. M.; et al (2016). Status, trends and drivers of kelp forests in Europe: an expert assessment. Biodiversity and Conservation, Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
6.
EEAGrants (n.d.). SeaForester. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
7.
Sea Forester (2019). SeaForester initiates feasibility project to assess the potential for seaforestation in Cascais. Accessed on September 11, 2024, [Source link] [Archive];
Comments and notes
Public Images
This image shows biologists taking samples.
Sea Forester Biologist at work.
https://www.seaforester.org/projects
Kelp Forest
Kelp Forest
Ref. 6
Kelp Forest
Kelp Forest
Ref. 2
Indicator
Achieved increased conservation or restoration of ecosystems
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium
Indicator
Achieved increased number of species present
Impact evaluation
Moderate
Degree of confidence
Medium