About the Project
The CLIMAREST project (Coastal Climate Resilience and Marine Restoration Tools for the Arctic Atlantic basin) focused on developing innovative restoration techniques in 5 pilot sites across Europe. The Consortium also co-created an online toolbox to guide ecosystem restoration and enhance climate resilience in coastal communities across Europe. Operating across five diverse ecosystems, from high-Arctic Svalbard (79° N) to the Madeira archipelago (33° N), the project integrated expert knowledge, stakeholder engagement, and innovative nature-based solutions into a modular framework designed for replication and upscaling across the Arctic-Atlantic basin.
SER-Europe’s Role
SER-Europe and our Marine Restoration Working Group played a pivotal role in the creation of a Long-Term Networking Strategy titled “An Ocean of Collaboration: The European Marine Restoration Working Group”. Our focus was on building a lasting European Marine Restoration Network that extends beyond the project’s lifetime, ensuring the tools and knowledge developed can be widely adopted and adapted across Europe and beyond.
Through our work, we coordinated training events, produced educational content, facilitated policy dialogue, and developed strategic frameworks to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange among marine restoration practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders. Accessible below are tools and resources from our collaboration on the CLIMAREST project.
Project Resources
Explore the outputs from our collaboration on the CLIMAREST project. These resources provide practical tools, knowledge, and frameworks for marine ecosystem restoration practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Core Tools
Marine Restoration Toolbox
A comprehensive compilation of resources designed to aid practitioners, authorities, and stakeholders in the process of effective marine restoration. Created in tandem with ongoing restoration efforts across Europe and guided by extensive scientific research, the toolbox is structured using the UN Standards of Practice to Guide Ecosystem Restoration.
Developed through the CLIMAREST project with scientists, restoration experts, and industrial partners from across Europe, the toolbox provides a “blueprint” for restoration actions with specific emphasis on upscaling through roadmaps and replication sites. As a living initiative, it is meant to grow and change with the marine restoration community.
The Marine Restoration Toolbox is now hosted and maintained by the Society for Ecological Restoration, ensuring its continued development and accessibility for the restoration community.
Strategic Document
Long-Term Networking Strategy: An Ocean of Collaboration
This strategy document provides a structured framework for the Marine Restoration Working Group’s (MRWG) first five years, outlining actions to build capacity, strengthen collaboration, and advance marine ecosystem restoration in alignment with the Nature Restoration Regulation and UN Ocean Decade 2030 goals.
Training & Capacity Building
Marine Ecosystem Restoration Training Videos (Dublin, September 2025)
Recordings from our two-day training event in collaboration with CLIMAREST are available on the SER Restoration Resource Center. The training brought together 23 participants from across Europe to strengthen understanding of the UN Decade Principles for Ecosystem Restoration, build skills in the Marine Restoration Virtual Lab, and facilitate knowledge exchange from Arctic–Atlantic restoration initiatives. Here’s how to access the training videos:
- Visit the → SER Restoration Resource Center – Resource Database
- Use the keyword filter to search for: “marine restoration toolbox”
- Browse the available sessions and select the videos relevant to your interests
Podcast Series and Webinars
Resilient Seas: Europe’s Marine Future
Resilient Seas: Europe’s Marine Future is the official podcast of the Horizon EU and Mission Ocean project CLIMAREST, produced in collaboration with the Society for Ecological Restoration Europe.
This five-episode series features discussions with experts on the importance of marine restoration and shares stories of ongoing restoration efforts along Europe’s coastline.
What is Marine Ecosystem Restoration? (36:35) – Introduction to concepts, goals, and benefits
Upscaling Marine Restoration (24:41) – Strategies for expanding restoration efforts
Engaging All in Restoration Processes (26:06) – Community involvement and participatory approaches
Diverse Innovation Drives Us (24:33) – Innovative approaches from Ireland and the Arctic
The Future (20:22) – Integrating restoration into sustainable ocean economies
SER-Europe and CLIMAREST Webinar Series
A three-part webinar series designed to provide visual and interactive platforms for sharing insights, practical experiences, and policy developments related to marine and coastal ecosystem restoration. Conducted in an in-person roundtable format, these sessions encouraged open dialogue and dynamic exchange between invited guests, fostering engaging conversations accessible to a broad audience of practitioners, policymakers, and stakeholders.
Restoring Our Seas – Navigating Challenges, Embracing Opportunities
(April 2024)
This first session explores how SER Principles can be adapted for marine environments and establishing robust marine ecological restoration standards.
Implementing the Nature Restoration Regulation – how projects like CLIMAREST contribute
(May 2025)
Session 2 examines the role of Horizon Europe projects in supporting EU member states’ National Restoration Plans, featuring legal frameworks and replication site case studies.
From Restoration to Replication – Lessons & Next Steps for Marine Ecosystem Restoration
(November 2025)
The final session highlights lessons learned, Mission Ocean’s role in driving change, and next steps for achieving healthy marine ecosystems by 2030.
Project Information
Funding: European Union’s Horizon Europe research and innovation programme (Grant Agreement No. 101093865)
Project Coordinator: SINTEF Ocean, Norway
Project Consortium: 17 partner institutions across Norway, France, Portugal, Ireland, Spain, Italy, and Denmark
Duration: 2023-2025