To restore and protect ocean ecosystems within a sustainable blue economy, in line with the objectives of the Mission ‘Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030’, we urgently need new business models for regenerative aquaculture, informed by best scientific evidence on environmental impacts and developed in partnership with societal stakeholders. To encourage adoption, such practices must be technically, operationally, and economically viable for ocean farmers, with clear benefits to ecosystem services, community resilience, market potential and job creation. C-FAARER will deliver a roadmap and guidance, co-designed with stakeholders, to support ocean farmers in the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin to develop community-driven business models for regenerative ocean farming and policymakers to take enabling actions. C-FAARER builds on prior EU projects, reviewing evidence on socio-economic and environmental impacts and successful community business models to establish a robust case for adoption. Working with ocean farmers and coastal communities at sites in Norway and Ireland, we will analyse technical, operational, economic, environmental, and social needs and create guidance on developing site-specific community-led business plans. We will co-design feasibility reports and evidence-based business plans with members of the Norwegian Seaweed Association cluster of 80+ ocean farmers, replicate lessons via a new Irish Seaweed Association and ensure long-term sustainability through a new Community of Practice on the established Connecting Nature Enterprise Platform. Policy recommendations will highlight barriers, supports and investments needed from local, national and EU authorities to strengthen and scale regenerative community-led aquaculture in the Atlantic and Arctic Sea basin. Clustering and engagement with Ocean Mission projects and partner networks will identify opportunities to embed community-led business models for regenerative aquaculture in future Mission actions.

The overarching objective of Connecting Nature is to position Europe as a global leader in the innovation and implementation of nature-based solutions. The project partners will form a community of cities fostering peer-to-peer, transdisciplinary capacity-building between front-runner, fast-follower and multiplier cities. Connecting Nature will co-develop the policy and practices necessary to scale up urban resilience, innovation and governance via nature-based solutions. An open innovation ecosystem approach bringing together city governments, SMEs, academia and civic society will be used to co-produce usable and actionable knowledge in all cities. Connecting Nature will provide the reference framework for a new generation of urban nature-based solution processes and empower transitioning ambassadors who will globalise this approach through a strategy targeting multiplier cities. This novel approach, coupled with the high capacity of the consortium, makes Connecting Nature an exciting prospect. In addition, linking all open-sourced data to the Oppla platform will ensure perpetuation beyond the end of the project.