EASMO will investigate for the first time the impact of climate change on the distribution of reef fish throughout the Eastern Tropical Pacific Ocean (ETP) considering cascading effects on biodiversity, ecosystem function, reefs’ contributions to people, climate feedbacks, and socio-economic well-being.
Read more about the project here
IN THE COMIC >
In Tides of Change, Mateo and Sophia are using information from EASMO’s findings on fish movements across the world to help figure out what they need to do to restore fish habitats. In this case, they are planting mangroves to create natural habitats for ocean fish to reproduce, live, and thrive.
Species are on the move throughout the planet escaping hostile climatic conditions. These movements have advanced four times faster in the ocean than on land, causing dramatic ecosystem changes and redistributing resources across borders. The ecological, food security, and governance implications are obvious. Yet, two persistent gaps hinder our capacity to effectively manage coastal social-ecological systems to safeguard both fisheries and human wellbeing in the face of such challenges: (1) regional studies documenting recent species redistributions have not quantified the social repercussions, and (2) future projections have mapped expected catches and metrics of socio-economic impact (e.g., fisheries revenue) globally but only at coarse scale that don’t help support local or regional decision-making.
