Germplasm banks are important for preserving genetic diversity, yet the availability and long-term maintenance of macroalgal strains in germplasm banks is currently limited in European collections. To support future food security, restoration efforts, and biotechnological innovation, a strategy was recently developed for the long-term preservation of macroalgal genetic diversity. A foundational step in this effort is to assess the existing biodiversity, biogeographical distribution, and commercial relevance of seaweed cultures maintained in European collections. Using a universal data-collection template distributed widely across European seaweed networks, we compiled and analysed information on these seaweed cultures. As of November 2025, the resulting SeaStrains Database of European Seaweed Collections contains 2541 cultures representing 426 species, accounting for only 4
Seaweed cultivation is estimated to sustain over 6 million livelihoods worldwide, particularly in low-income tropical regions, such as Indonesia. The wild stocks that underpin this industry, however, are increasingly threatened by anthropogenic pressures (e.g. climate change and overexploitation) that undermine its productivity and resilience. Although seaweed cultivation has been proposed as a nature-based solution to conserve biodiversity and support livelihoods, its long-term viability depends on the sustainable use and management of seaweed habitats by stakeholders. This study conducted a knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) survey of seaweed industry and conservation stakeholders in South Sulawesi, Indonesia (n = 99 of which 87 respondents were based in South Sulawesi), to assess perspectives on seaweed conservation. Despite knowledge and supportive attitudes towards seaweed conservation being high, these were not consistently matched by sustained action. Key barriers to sustainable practices included a lack of understanding of the threats to wild seaweeds, livelihood instability that constrained conservation-aligned behaviour, and practical limitations (notably insufficient resources and technical support). To address these challenges, this study recommends risk-reducing mechanisms to support practice adoption (e.g., peer-to-peer learning, strengthened extension support, and risk-buffering finance), alongside co-designed seaweed monitoring programs, and targeted ocean literacy initiatives. Collectively, these measures could help translate stakeholder support into tangible seaweed conservation action, supporting a more sustainable seaweed sector that safeguards seaweed habitats and secures coastal livelihoods.
1. The cadence, intensity, and breadth of global change have never been greater. Ideally, society responses to this change are public policies derived from trusted scientific evidence produced by ethical research conduct: such 'research of integrity' is critical for public trust in the scientific endeavour and, hence, its value to society at large. 2. The facets of research integrity span a broad ambit of ethical, moral, cultural, and epistemological domains that can appear bewilderingly complex to practitioners. Here, we provide a succinct summary of the main requirements and associated principles. 3. Respecting the primacy of Indigenous rights, cultures, and knowledge is crucially important for ecologists, and this must be done sincerely and sensitively. 4. Avoiding or minimising harm to sentient animals is a universal practice, and extending harm reduction to habitats is a logical development. However, common sense must prevail to avoid bureaucratic overreach that can result in perverse outcomes where critical conservation work is left undone because of overly stringent permit conditions. 5. The best empirical evidence is morally tainted, and hence mistrusted, when it emerges from a culture of discrimination (e.g. gender, origin, age) or is biased by political or religious interference in the scientific process. 6. The cardinal requirement for the evidence put forward is for it to present precisely the actual facts: absolute truth is the conditio sine qua non for all scientific outputs. 7. Science has self-correcting and quality-assurance mechanisms: stringent quality control during the publication process (e.g., independent peer review, close editorial oversight, reputable journals and publishers) and open science (e.g., data availability) all actors must uphold both. 8. Across all domains, transparency and openness are the key attributes in all stages of the scientific process: they allow for culturally safe and ethically just practices to be visible and for information to be verifiable.
The marine environment provides a wealth of ecosystem services, which can deliver human benefit when combined with built, human or social capital. Through the expansion of offshore energy infrastructure, human intervention has reshaped marine ecosystems on a global scale. Yet, the changes that these structures induce in the environment and the knock-on effects on ecosystem services remains poorly understood. This study aims to first provide a comprehensive review on the role of offshore energy structures in ecosystem service delivery, synthesising findings from 18 countries over a 42-year period. These findings are then structured under the DAPSI(W)R(M) framework, to draw links between human activity, environmental effects and ecosystem services. The findings are discussed in the context of UK energy transitions in the North Sea.The life stage of the structure and the specific marine environment were the biggest driving forces behind how a structure affected ecosystem services. The initial construction stage created many pressures within the environment, which in turn negatively affected how people engaged with the marine environment through the displacement of commercial fishing, local tourism and visual enjoyment of the seascape. Conversely, structures in place for several years fostered reef-like habitats, leading to enhanced tourism, increased fish stocks and improved nutrient cycling by benthic species.Existing research has focused primarily on the construction and operation periods, with limited research available which addresses how different decommissioning approaches will affect associated communities and ecosystem services. By improving knowledge around the role that offshore structures have in the delivery of ecosystem services and the tools used to assess a structures value, such findings could support informed decision-making for decommissioning on a global scale.
ABSTRACT The Atlantic Meridional Overturning Circulation (AMOC) plays a key role in the climate system, especially in the global meridional heat transport. Historical reconstructions indicate that the AMOC has weakened by about 15% since the mid‐20th century. Paleoclimate records, ocean theory, as well as a hierarchy of climate models suggest that the AMOC is a tipping element, sensitive to changes in buoyancy fluxes at the air‐sea interface, and could transition into a substantially weaker or fully collapsed state. Such a transition would have significant climate impacts on decadal to centennial timescales, potentially exceeding societal adaptability. Assessing the probability of such a transition, particularly before 2100, requires evaluating whether a collapsed AMOC state is possible under current forcing conditions. While conceptual and intermediate‐complexity models have long identified collapsed states, comprehensive global climate models have only recently done so. Based on integrating model diagnostics with observations and current AMOC theory this review article critically evaluates the current arguments for and against the evidence of a multi‐stable AMOC regime. We conclude that the evidence base in favor of such a regime has broadened over the last years and that the present‐day AMOC is in such a regime. This article is categorized under: Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Modern Climate Change Paleoclimates and Current Trends > Earth System Behavior Climate Models and Modeling > Knowledge Generation with Models
