African societies face growing global change risks, with rapidly changing patterns of human settlements and intensity of use of ecosystem services. At the same time, climate variability and climate change trends are intensifying stress on the ecosystems that ensure environmental security, both locally (e.g. ecosystem services), regionally (e.g. sustainable development options) and internationally (e.g. carbon sequestration). Approaches that can address this challenge in an integrated and multidisciplinary way are urgently needed in many places in Africa where there is a close relationship between societal well-being and environmental condition, relating particularly to biomass for energy and food production, and hydrological considerations such as water yields. Policymakers and land-use decision makers are increasingly dependent on knowledge on the state of the environment. Long-term observational systems and research infrastructures have been identified to be indispensable elements of knowledge generation to serve climate change adaptation, food security, and climate change mitigation. This proposal supports EU-African cooperation on research infrastructures. Its aims are to increase coherence and interoperability between infrastructures in Europe and Africa, to enhance technical competence, science awareness and life-long learning in Africa in order to facilitate the use of research results for evidence-based policy making, and to identify knowledge gaps for future research directions. The project will 1) identify the essential parameters needed to develop science based strategies to improve food and nutrition security including early warning systems and to mitigate climate change, 2) formulate a roadmap towards fully interoperable and accessible research infrastructures in agricultural and climate research in the EU and Africa that match the needs of the users, and 3) deliver a contribution to capacity building and human capital development in Africa.

The objective of FarFish is to improve knowledge on and management of EU fisheries outside Europe, while contributing to sustainability and long term profitability. 21% of EU catches originate from non-EU waters. These fisheries are often poorly regulated, management decisions are sometimes based on limited knowledge and enforcement capabilities, compliance and trust between stakeholders tend to lack. FarFish will address these shortcomings in a multidisciplinary and innovative way by focusing on six diverse case studies, four in Sustainable Fisheries Partnership Agreement (SFPA) waters and two in international waters. Firstly, FarFish will analyse biological, ecological, technological, economic, political and social impacts of EU fisheries in the case studies to advance knowledge and promote sustainable and profitable exploitation. Secondly, introduce Results-Based Management approaches and new decision support tools into these fisheries and test their applicability in collaboration with stakeholders. Thirdly, build capacities in fisheries management and related disciplines amongst stakeholders. The results of FarFish will both have immediate and long-term application. FarFish includes a diverse groups of stakeholders, EU and third country fleets representatives, scientists, decision makers, Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs), relevant industries and stakeholders from areas outside the case studies but of importance for the EU fleet, forming a platform for future cooperation between EU and third countries. FarFish addresses the work programme by improving knowledge within the relevant fisheries, developing management tools and models, improving professional skills and sharing new findings in correspondence to the priorities of SFPAs, RFMOs and the CFP. FarFish will contribute to sustainable management, resilience and efficiency in the seafood value chains, increase European food security, boost long-term profitability and promote jobs.

Marine environments are subject to growing pressures as traffic, increasing demand and changing land-use of coastal areas, seabed exploitation, dredging or mining, fishing, tourism, development of renewable energies, etc. Sustainably managed oceans and seas can contribute to economic growth and employment, and will allow the international community to meet its global targets, including the reduction of poverty and hunger as detailed in the global 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Thus, marine environments are considered opportunities for future growth not only in Europe, but also in bordering marine areas like the tropical Atlantic. As a consequence, new frameworks will be increasingly needed to regulate and optimize the range of feasible uses of marine areas and resources. Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) aims at reconciling human uses and conservation, and offers an attractive setting to combine different uses of marine resources within a single area. There is an urgent and critical need for research on the application of MSP in tropical areas. The research should critically address the fact that the policy framework originally designed for the European Union (EU) may not fit the specificities of Southern countries. PADDLE will bring together internationally renowned researchers and actors, from countries bordering the tropical Atlantic and from the EU, to create a network and a colloborative platform, which will build theory and methods for pertinent MSP in tropical areas. This interdisciplinary team will be a pillar of knowledge-based MSP by providing critical analyses of the tools and methods used, and by designing innovative approaches to efficient MSP. The PADDLE proposal will create the first North-South interdisciplinary consortium on MSP in the tropics, highlighting opportunities and limits of tropical MSP and producing toolboxes for a broad range of stakeholders.