Project Overview

REVALGAE addresses the growing environmental, ecological and socioeconomic challenge posed by the spread of invasive algae and salt-tolerant plants along the Atlantic Area coasts. These species disrupt marine biodiversity, alter habitats and food webs, affect fisheries, aquaculture and tourism, and generate large amounts of underused biomass, while climate change is further accelerating their spread. In response, REVALGAE proposes an integrated and transnational approach that combines ecosystem restoration, sustainable harvesting, biomass valorisation, and stakeholder engagement to turn this environmental pressure into an opportunity for the blue bioeconomy and marine biotechnology sectors. The project will first improve knowledge on the distribution, biomass, impacts and spread mechanisms of invasive species across the Atlantic Area, then develop and test sustainable harvesting procedures through REVALGAE pilots, and finally valorise the collected biomass through the extraction, screening and characterisation of bioactive compounds with potential applications in targeted sectors. Beyond the technical work, the project will support uptake through stakeholder mobilisation, policy recommendations, a Joint Action Plan, and sustainability and exploitation planning. By doing so, REVALGAE is expected to contribute to biodiversity protection, restoration of damaged coastal ecosystems, reduction of environmental and economic losses caused by invasive species, and creation of new value chains based on bio-based products and circular economy principles.

REVALGAEspecific objectives are:
1) to increase knowledge on the spread mechanisms and impacts of invasive algae and salt-tolerant plants in the Atlantic Area to guide future management strategies;
2) to assess and validate sustainable harvesting procedures through Quadruple Helix consultation and REVALGAE pilots, ensuring biodiversity protection and biomass supply for valorisation;
3) to explore and promote the potential uses of invasive biomass by identifying bioactive compounds that may lead to new products and applications.