Welcome to MARECO
Welcome to the website of the Marine Ecology and Management (MARECO) team of the Institute of Natural Sciences.
Our team has a large expertise in marine environmental research in a wide variety of domains. Linking research to policy and management support is a key asset of our work. We contribute to Environmental Impact Assessment, environmental status assessments and Marine Spatial Planning. The team is coordinating several monitoring programs assessing the environmental status of the marine environment and studying the environmental impact of human activities at sea. MARECO’s expertise serves international bodies like the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, the Oslo-Paris Convention and technical working group of the European Commission. Our team can make use of state-of-the-art research equipment, modern lab facilities and a research vessel and offers scientific services including an Artificial Hard Substrate Garden and assistance to species identifications.
MARECO is part of the Aquatic and Terrestrial Ecology group of the Operational Directorate Natural Environment (OD Nature) within the Institute of Natural Sciences.
MARECO is a partner of the European Marine Biological Resource Centre (EMBRC), a European ‘research infrastructure’ that provides access to marine resources, cutting-edge services, and facilities to study the ocean and develop innovative solutions to tackle societal issues. EMBRC brings together 46 marine stations and institutes in 9 member countries. Services are open to academic and industry stakeholders. Learn more
Research Domains
Hard substrate Ecology
The MARECO hard substrate research is focusing on ecosystem structure, ecosystem functioning, non-indigenous species and the deep-sea environments.
Marine mammal ecology
MARECO advises the Belgian federal government on the monitoring and management of marine mammals in view of the main threats
Bird & bat ecology
MARECO is building generic knowledge about the avoidance of and attraction to offshore wind farms and, about the timing of and meteorology associated with bird and bat migration at sea.
Management, conservation en restoration
MARECO advises the Belgian federal government on the monitoring and management of marine mammals
