Experts - Historical Ecology

I am broadly interested in the evolutionary ecology of aquatic invertebrates. My areas of expertise are (a) historical phylogeography, and (b) the reconstruction of evolutionary change with genomic and morphological time series. The European oyster is one of my model systems. Using ancientDNA approaches, I aim to understand how and why the European oyster genomic diversity has changed over time, and how this change may relate to its decline. My immediate goal is to reconstruct the natural distribution of genomic diversity and particular local adaptations, a baseline that could be useful to restoration projects across Europe.

E-Mail: ewers-saucedo@zoolmuseum.uni-kiel.de
Web: www.ewers-saucedo.net

I'am currently employed as a Science Officer with the Shellfish Centre Wales based at Bangor University. I have worked with native oyster population dynamics for more than 20 years. My particular expertise is the passive / benign approach to bivalve restoration. I have extensive experience in establishing, monitoring and augmenting both subtidal and intertidal native oyster, pearl oyster and horse mussel populations. I' am a predictive population modeler of invasive bivalve species, with Magallana gigas and Pinctada radiata species of interest. I'am currently working on the DAERA funded; Native Oysters Northern Ireland project (NONI) and the Ulster Wildlife Trust Blue Carbon Habitats project. I, am also connected with the Zoological Society of London "Wild Oysters" restoration hub at the Conwy Estuary Wales.

E-Mail: d.smyth@bangor.ac.uk

E-Mail: alison.debney@zsl.org
Web: www.zsl.org

As one of the initiators of native oyster restoration in Dutch waters, I am currently functioning as an informal network coordinator, operating between the various restoration projects and related organisations. With the purpose of stimulating cooperation and exchange of information, in order to speed up the learning curve we have to go through. As member of the NORA Advisory Board I also attempt to stimulate cross-border cooperation and information exchange at a European level.

E-Mail: hsas@xs4all.nl

Microbiologist, spesialization in bivalve health and disease transmission. Experience from projects on oyster, mussel and scallop aquaculture. Leading a National Reference Laboratory function on diagnostics of bivalve diseases in Norway and a healtth monitoring programme, including wild and farmed populations of flat oysters and mussels. Leading a Nordic collaborative network on Pacific oysters in Scandinavia, studying the spreading dynamics, mitigation as well as a potential exploration of Pacific oysters as a new resource. Also involved in public outreach through communication with stakeholders, including managers.

E-Mail: stein.mortensen@hi.no
Web: https://www.hi.no/hi

I'm a marine ecologist and scientific diver studying the ecological functioning of marine habitats of high biodiversity, especially biogenic habitats formed by shellfish, the effects of anthropogenic impacts and the development of novel approaches for impact amelioration and ecological restoration. I have expertise in the aquaculture of biogenic reef forming bivalves (oysters, horse mussels) with the purpose of ecological restoration, site selection of restoration and translocation and monitoring of success using biodiversity of the associated community, survival and recruitment as metrics. In the past I have worked in several shellfish restoration projects such as the Modiolus Restoration Plan in Strangford Lough (Northern Ireland), monitoring condition and recovery in horse mussel Modiolus modiolus populations following restoration, and the Dornoch Firth Environmental Enhancement Project (DEEP) in Scotland for the reintroduction of the native oyster Ostrea edulis, largely working on site selection and historical ecology.

E-Mail: josemaria.farinas-franco@gmit.ie

E-Mail: abratos@unidu.hr

I have > ten years experience in native oyster restoration, ecosystem service quantification and historical ecology in the USA, Australia and Europe. I have worked with NORA to develop Biosecurity Guidelines, having undertaken my PhD on aquatic invasive species at the University to Cambridge. I was a contributing author to the "Oyster Habitat Restoration Monitoring and Assessment Handbook" (2014) and author and editor of the "Restoration Guidelines for Shellfish Reefs" (2019) and the "European Native Oyster Habitat Restoration Handbook, UK and Ireland" (2020) and therefore have broad, high-level experience of oyster restoration. I am also a longstanding member of the Essex Native Oyster Restoration Initiative, and have provided project-level advice for several native oyster projects throughout the UK.

E-Mail: secretariat@noraeurope.eu

Developing the science, networks and communication to allow the scale-up of shellfish reef restoration to address habitat destruction on an ecologically meaningful scale. This includes developing the primary science to support restoration and quantifying the ecosystem services provided by the restored habitat, translating that science into formats accessible to a variety of practitioners and facilitating knowledge exchange across a range of projects, geographies and taxa.

E-Mail: BHANCOCK@TNC.ORG