Environment and biodiversity
- Location:
Europe - Sponsor:
Mathilde Nithart - Grants:
€100,000 by the 14/11/2022 Board of Directors
€25,000 (matched €25,000 grant from the Group’s communication department, resulting from the “Inspire” internal consultation), in 2022
€300,000 by the 17/06/2024 Board of Directors (over two years)
Project leader
As the watchdog of climate change, the ocean is under threat. Coastal habitats, which are the richest in terms of biodiversity, have the highest levels of pollution. Human population growth and industrial practices have generated unprecedented stress factors on oceans, seas and rivers. Without urgent intervention, some coastal ecosystems will collapse in the coming decades.
Coastal ecosystems in Europe and beyond
With this in mind, the Tara Océan Foundation, a long-standing partner of the Veolia Foundation, is embarking on a new expedition: Europa, the maritime component of the TREC (Traversing European Coastlines) European scientific program, led by the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL).
From April 2023 to October 2024, Tara will sail around Europe, calling in at least ten countries. The scientists involved in the TREC expedition will be collecting samples in coastal waters on board the schooner, as well as on land. They are equipped with mobile laboratories to facilitate in situ analysis. The focus is on biodiversity and the adaptation of life at the land-sea interface and along different environmental gradients.
The second stage of the Europa expedition will take place from summer 2025 on the coast of Iceland, then in 2026 and 2027 in Southeast Asia and Japan. Specific research protocols will be deployed.
National and international advocacy
This collaborative project aims to usher in a new era of exploration of the land-sea interface, using integrated approaches to better understand coastal ecosystems. For most people, land-water interfaces are the zone of contact with the marine ecosystem. They are therefore crucial to raising public awareness of the accelerating decline of this environment. They are also the lever through which the Tara Océan Foundation lobbies international institutions and public authorities to adopt a systemic approach to the oceans that is equal to the challenge.
