The Role of Sediment and Sediment Dynamics in the Aquatic Environment

Abstract

Integrating society into ecosystem conservation has become pivotal in this day and age, yet the ocean conservation community still lacks some of the methodologies and re-thinking for a transdisciplinary and inclusiveness turn. Underappreciation of social values in research, late and opportunist inclusion of social-science experts and psychology-based approaches, and insufficient impact evaluation are main concerns when navigating the space between conservation and policy. The role of boundary organizations plus a legal framework that supports governance diversity and rights-based management are great tools in the box to achieve the desired paradigm shift across multiple scales and bureaucratic boundaries. Concretely, environmental NGOs connect the environment, civil society, government, and academia, especially through citizen science and participatory activities. Several inspiring initiatives that managed to enrich monitoring programs and translate scientific evidence into conservation policy in the Mediterranean Sea are illustrated, like Posimed-Andalucía, MARNOBA, Observadores del Mar, SOS-Redes or Med-Coral program.