Norway’s ocean and coastal areas are rich in biodiversity, store carbon, and provide the foundation for energy and food production. At the same time, industries such as offshore wind, aquaculture, fisheries, ports and maritime bases require space. As a result, pressure on marine ecosystems is increasing.
BlueNature will demonstrate how nature can be better protected while enabling ocean industries to develop within the planet’s ecological limits.
The BlueNature Centre will develop concrete, research-based solutions for the sustainable use of space and natural resources in ocean and coastal areas. In this way, Norway can move towards a nature-positive future where the loss of nature has been halted and what has been lost has been restored.
Interdisciplinary research for sustainable ocean and coastal management
BlueNature brings together researchers, public authorities, regulators, industry and civil society in an eight-year research centre. The work combines research in the natural sciences, social sciences and technology, organised into five research areas:
- Pressures and impacts on marine ecosystems
- Regulation and governance
- Mapping and data-driven knowledge
- Solutions and tools
- Enabling societal transformation
The research is tested in practice through use cases related to nature restoration, industrial development in coastal and offshore areas, and integrated spatial planning.
Today, we lack robust methodologies for assessing the cumulative pressures on marine ecosystems. BlueNature develops methods that evaluate the overall effects of human activities, including indirect and climate-related impacts over time. This will help identify where action is needed.
Through the use of sensors and digital tools, the project strengthens the evidence base for decision-making and increases confidence in data-driven knowledge. At the same time, it develops solutions that make efforts to avoid, reverse and restore nature loss more concrete, measurable and achievable.
The results can be used by municipalities, county authorities, county governors, government agencies, businesses and organisations. In addition to providing better decision-support tools, the project will contribute to clearer frameworks for incorporating nature considerations and to greater knowledge and engagement in sustainable ocean management. The ambition is to strengthen Norway’s position in the transition to a nature-positive future.
The centre is one of four Centres for Sustainable Nature and Land Use and is funded by the Research Council of Norway.