Sustainable Resource Management Under Climate Pressure: Blue-Green Pathways for
Abstract
Enhancing resilience in food and water systems in response to extreme weather is critical for the sustainability of ecosystems and food production. However, these ecosystems face ongoing threats, including climate change, natural disasters, and anthropogenic pressures such as industrial practices, waste generation, overfishing, and oil spills. For example, fjords, as key providers of ecosystem services, present a unique opportunity to implement sustainable aquaculture practices like Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) systems, which promote sustainable food production in coastal zones in both Chile and Sweden.
This proposal emphasizes the importance of blue-green technologies in mitigating environmental impacts, aiming to enhance local community resilience and productivity. By fostering transdisciplinary collaboration between oceanographic, aquacultural, and social sciences, these technologies can address ecosystem and societal challenges holistically. To ensure the ecological integrity of fjords, continuous monitoring and molecular tools, including environmental DNA and genetic technologies, are essential for sustainable management.
These efforts align with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) #11, #14, and #15, targeting sustainable cities and communities, life below water, and life on land. Building on the ACCESS group's previous initiative, "Breaking the Tide: Blue-Green Innovations for Preserving Our Coastal Seas," this project will further efforts to protect fjords from anthropogenic pressures. By integrating blue-green innovations and sustainable systems, this initiative will contribute to sustainable fjord management, ensuring their continued contributions to human well-being and environmental health, while promoting international collaboration.
Key word: Blue-Green
EXPECTATIONS FOR PARTICIPANTS
The workshop will bring together participants from a range of scientific fields relevant to the proposed theme, including senior researchers, early-career scientists, and PhD students, each contributing their unique expertise. Discussions will focus on presenting research capabilities and identifying key contributions to the initiative. The goal is to adopt a transdisciplinary approach that integrates both biological and technological perspectives for blue-green innovations, aimed at increasing resilience in food and water systems.
Jurij Wacyk, Universidad de Chile
Jurij Wacyk is an Agronomic Engineer from the University of Chile, with a PhD in fish physiology. He currently serves as a full-time professor at the University of Chile. His research focuses on how fish can use nutrients more efficiently, balancing animal requirements with the sustainable use of natural resources. Using both traditional and molecular tools, he has studied the effects of different protein sources, anti-nutritional factors, and plant extracts (both terrestrial and marine) on fish growth, feed conversion, nutrient retention, as well as immune and reproductive responses. His studies have involved species such as salmonids (trout and salmon), tilapia, red and golden cusk eel, halibut, and yellowtail. Currently, he is focused on developing new strategies to improve the absorption and utilization of key molecules, including pigments, fatty acids (EPA and DHA), metabolism modulators, and antibiotics, with the goal of reducing environmental outputs from aquaculture.
Helena Filipsson, Lund University
Professor Helena Filipsson is a marine scientist with a deep passion for understanding both present and past marine environments in the context of global change. She specializes in studying low-oxygen areas such as estuaries, fjords, and open ocean oxygen minimum zones (OMZs). Her geographical focus includes the Baltic Sea, Skagerrak, and coastal upwelling areas in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. To investigate past environmental conditions, Professor Filipsson and her team use marine sediment cores as environmental archives, analyzing their content of various microfossils and biomarkers.
CONTACT US:
Jurij: jwacyk@uchile.cl
Helena: helena.filipsson@geol.lu.se