The aim of EKLIPSE is to establish an innovative, light, self-sustainable EU support mechanism for evidence-based policy on biodiversity and ecosystems services open to all relevant knowledge holders and users, and to hand over this mechanism to the wider knowledge community by the end of the project. The mechanism will build on existing science-policy-society interfaces and be further refined via iterative evaluation and learning throughout the project. The mechanism will provide trustworthy evidence for policy and society upon request and will make the knowledge community more able to provide synthesized and timely evidence by providing a platform for mutual learning and engagement. All relevant knowledge holders and users will be actively encouraged and supported by the project team through their individual strengths and interests, thus ensuring targeted contributions. Many institutions have already expressed their interest in the “Network of Networks” of potential contributors to the EU mechanism’s activities. EKLIPSE will directly support the further development of this network and ensure the involvement of relevant stakeholders in the following key areas: (a) jointly developing and setting up a business plan for the mechanism after the end of the project (WP1), (b) conducting joint evidence assessments using established and innovative methods to support policy and societal needs (WP3), (c) jointly identifying research needs and emerging issues (WP4), actively building the Network of Networks and (d) encouraging societal engagement (WP6). This will be supported by an interim governance structure, a strong communication component, including a Science-Policy-Society Forum, and an independent formative evaluation to ensure learning (WP2).

BLUE4ALL will align top-down regulatory demands about European (networks of) MPAs with bottom-up societal expectations as a guarantee for achieving effective, efficient and resilient MPAs and networks of MPAs which meet EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 objectives. By mobilizing stakeholders from BLUE4ALL’s 25 information sites and Living Labs, i.e. locations across the Mediterranean Sea, the Baltic Sea and the North-East Atlantic regions where (networks of) MPAs have been established and from which lessons learned can be drawn about success and failure relative to how challenges were tackled, we will co-create robust and replicable social, governance, ecological and environmental tools to meet conservation and/or restoration objectives in socially sustainable and acceptable ways. These science-based tools will be tested in Living Labs, i.e. locations where (networks of) MPAs are in the process of establishment and where these tools can be fed into the ongoing MPA process. The operationalized and tested frameworks will ultimately be generalized into a Blueprint Platform for the co-creation of effective, efficient and resilient (networks of) MPAs. This scheme will separate generically encountered challenges and applied solutions from MPA (network)-specific challenges and solutions and develop guidance in a user-friendly manner to end-users (i.e. MPA (network) managers and authorities). This guidance will take the shape of an interactive web-based Blueprint Platform directing the end-users to those challenges and solutions most applicable to their site(s). User-friendliness and applicability will be maximized by cross-checking the Blueprint Platform development with the actors and stakeholders of the Living Labs throughout the whole process of its development. Knowledge transfer and interaction with stakeholders and society-at-large at local to regional scales will lead to the development of a platform for MPA networking to interact with communities of practice boosting the BLUE4ALL legacy to its ultimate goal to restore our oceans and waters.