Kick-off meeting

The DEEP-REST kick-off meeting was held at the PNBI in Brest May 10-11th 2022. This hybrid meeting gathered 27 on site participants and 16 on line participants. The first day was spent to present the general objectives of the project and the different Work Packages. Each WP had a one hour slot for presentations. A total of 28 presentations were given by the participants, distributed among the 5 core WPs (WP2-WP6).

Some the ideas that emerged include: (i) the organisation of a workshop on functional traits by UAveiro (WP2). (ii) A compilation of available data per study site for the 2 ecosystems + identify PIs (WP2). This will also feed D 1.3 (M6) which consist in the development of a data catalogue. (iii) The organisation of a short series of webinars (on restoration, economy related to mineral resources, connectivity, etc.) in partnership with DOSI (TBD) would be a good way to increase our visibility. (iv) The importance of presenting DEEP REST objectives to Council delegates of each country was raised. (v) We discussed about our future policy briefs (WP6). Several publication supports were mentioned but it is difficult to evaluate which one will have a better visibility. (vi) For outreach activities, a standard ppt about mineral resources for different public will be done. (vii) Several persons demonstrated their interest to be part of the editorial board of the future newsletter. A mail a draft template will be send to the team. (viii) Video interviews will be realized to evaluate the knowledge/perception of the general public about deep-sea ecosystems, the presence of resources and their potential exploitation. One person by country would be necessary. The idea is to choose 2/3 questions to ask to different public. Video in native language + subtitles in English. Agreement should be signed. A meeting should be organized to agree on the form + procedure & identify questions. The goal of these interviews is simply for communication means. (ix) The AMURE team need some volunteers to update the Diplomasea game towards the topics of deep-sea resource exploitation. 15 persons will be needed to give feedbacks.