Co-designing a multidisciplinary deep-ocean observing programme at the Mid-Atlantic Ridge in the Azores region: a blueprint for synergy in deep ocean research and conservation

Abstract

Under the umbrella of the Deep Ocean Observing Strategy (DOOS) and the All-Atlantic Ocean Observing System (AtlantOS), researchers at the Okeanos—University of the Azores, local stakeholders and authorities, and the deep ocean science community are adopting a co-design approach [which, as highlighted by the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS), the co-design concept aims to combine the knowledge of diverse experts and stakeholders to create innovative approaches to meet stakeholder needs in ways beyond what could be achieved by any one of those involved working alone] to create a deep-ocean observation project to strengthen deep ocean observing capacities in accordance with users’ and societal needs. The demonstration project discussed below builds on decades of co-design in collaborative efforts in the Azores Archipelago between science, private entities, governmental institutions, and local authorities for science-based management (Santos et al., 1995). Already in the 1980s, several Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) that impose fishing limitations to promote the sustainable use of marine resources were established by this collaborative effort (Santos et al., 1995). During the 2000s, the joint effort between the Regional Government of the Azores and the University of the Azores resulted in the inclusion of 11 sites in the Oslo Paris Convention for the Protection of the North Atlantic (OSPAR; https://www.ospar.org/) MPAs’ network. This made Portugal, and particularly the Azores, a pioneer in the protection of marine biodiversity at an international level (Ribeiro, 2010), and an important progressive player in the ground-breaking OSPAR high-seas MPAs process (Abecasis et al., 2015).