Integrated Marine Ecology

The main feature of this group is the multidisciplinary strategy to deal with ecological studies of marine organisms using complementary approaches. The studies conducted by this group are very broad, ranging from fishery-oceanographic surveys to experimentation in captivity, within a common framework: an ecosystem approach to marine resource assessment and management to ensure the conservation of biodiversity. This approach requires: • The definition and description of ecosystems asociated to marine resources, in terms of scale, size, structure and operation. • Assessment of marine ecosystems status, defined in terms of environmental health or integrity and set as acceptable to society and also threat assessment. • The conservation, protection and rehabilitation of marine ecosystems and impact mitigation using adaptive strategies.