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In this paper, we discuss the importance of the efficient communication of science results to citizens across the world. In order for people to absorb information, we need to understand the principles and apply the best available means to facilitate the process of increasing global awareness of the changes. This explicitly applies to the verification of how we appeal to people with respect to various environmental issues and, hence, how we can modernize the educational approaches to challenge the global change. We state that, in order to follow the philosophy of sustainable development goals with respect to ocean issues, we need an attractive alternative to the existing areas of consumption. We also state that the ocean issues are at the core of any process aiming to secure sustainability. New methods and tools of education and scientific communication, especially those which are offered by non-formal approaches, are necessary, and we present here some of the activities of the EU4Ocean coalition as best practice examples.

Beaches are ecologically valuable ecosystems and sites that attract many tourists from all over the world, therefore, knowledge of their environmental conditions to establish sound management strategies is of extreme relevance. This study aims to assess and classify 50 beaches through an innovative coastal management approach called “Sector Analysis”, which integrates Litter grading, the coastal scenic quality and beach typology in order to classify sites into one of three sectors: Green (high value sites), Red (low value sites) and Yellow (sites with contradictory values). Litter Grade makes it possible to classify a site according to the quantity of litter using four grades from “A” (low) to “D” (high amount). The Coastal Scenic Evaluation System (CSES) allows to classify sites into five classes, ranging from extremely attractive natural sites (Class I) to unattractive degraded and urbanized sites (Class V). This innovative methodology for sustainable coastal area management can be easily applied to any beach in the world. The results on Litter Grade and CSES considered in this paper were obtained from previous studies and used to obtain the Sector Analysis that showed only 8 sites (16%) are in the Green sector, 18 sites (36%) in the Red sector and 24 sites (48%) in the Yellow sector. The significant percentage of sites in the Red sector (one third of the sites studied) clearly indicates the degradation that the Moroccan Mediterranean coast has undergone due to considerable anthropogenic activities and the lack of adequate coastal management programs. In this study, various management interventions were proposed to conserve and improve the aesthetic quality of beaches and reduce the impact and presence of litter in the coastal areas.

Background: Biolubricants represent a category of lubricating substances derived from sustainable sources such as vegetable oils, animal fats, and other bio-based materials. They are considered more environmentally friendly than mineral-based lubricants because they are biodegradable and nontoxic. Biolubricants derived from vegetable oils or animal fats were used as first-generation biolubricants. They have limited performance at extreme temperatures, both high and low, as well as low oxidative stability. Substitution of the double bonds by branching improves the performance and stability of the resulting second-generation biolubricants. Methods: In the past, the production of these compounds has relied on the chemical pathway. This method involves elevated temperatures and inorganic catalysts, leading to the necessity of additional purification steps, which decreases environmental sustainability and energy efficiency. A more environmentally friendly alternative, the enzymatic route, has been introduced, in accordance with the principles of “Green Chemistry”. Results: In this paper, the esterification of 2-methylhexanoic acid with 2-octyl-1-dodecanol and its optimization were developed for the first time. The synthesis was conducted within a jacketed batch reactor connected to a thermostatic bath in a solvent-free reaction medium and using Lipozyme® 435 as biocatalyst. Conclusions: The high viscosity index value of this new hyperbranched ester (>200, ASTM D2270) suggests that it may be an excellent biolubricant to be used under extreme temperature conditions. Regarding sustainability, the main green metrics calculated point to an environmentally friendly process.

Recreational hunting can have positive consequences on biodiversity conservation, but in many countries the number of hunters is declining. This downward trend threatens the sustainability of an important human activity that can be used as a tool for wildlife management and biodiversity conservation. On the other hand, in developed countries there is an upward trend in the number of female hunters. In this study, we analyzed women and men’s hunting preferences in Spain, focusing our attention on the game species they were interested in. We found that female hunters were more interested than male hunters in hunting big game species. We discussed potential consequences of our results on the sustainability of hunting and biodiversity conservation.

European oceans are subject to rapid development. New activities such as aquaculture and ocean energy have gained importance. This triggers interest in “multi-use platforms at sea” (MUPS), i.e., areas at sea in which different activities are combined. MUPS are complex features with regards to technology, governance, and financial, socioeconomic, and environmental aspects. To identify realistic and sustainable solutions and designs for MUPS, the MERMAID project applied a participatory design process (PDP) involving a range of stakeholders representing companies, authorities, researchers, and NGOs. This paper evaluates if and how the participatory design process contributed to the design of multi-use platforms. It is based on interviews with the managers of the case study sites and a questionnaire administered to all stakeholders participating in the PDP workshops. Analyzing the four case studies, we conclude that the participatory design process has had a valuable contribution to the development of the four different designs of MUPS, even though the preconditions for carrying out a participatory design process differed between sites. In all four cases, the process has been beneficial in generating new and shared knowledge. It brought new design issues to the table and increased knowledge and understanding among the different stakeholders.

Over the last few decades, much of the mountain area in European countries has turned into potential habitat for species of medium- and large-sized mammals. Some of the occurrences that explain this trend are biodiversity protection, the creation of natural protected areas, and the abandonment of traditional agricultural activities. In recent years, wolves have once again been seen in forests in the eastern sector of the Pyrenees and the Pre-Pyrenees. The success or failure of their permanent settlement will depend on several factors, including conservation measures for the species, habitat availability, and the state of landscape connectivity. The aim of this study is to analyze the state of landscape connectivity for fragments of potential wolf habitat in Catalonia, Andorra, and on the French side of the Eastern Pyrenees. The results show that a third of the area studied constitutes potential wolf habitat and almost 90% of these spaces are of sufficient size to host stable packs. The set of potential wolf habitat fragments was also assessed using the probability of connectivity index (dPC), which analyses landscape connectivity based on graph structures. According to the graph theory, the results confirm that all the nodes or habitat fragments are directly or indirectly interconnected, thus forming a single component. Given the large availability of suitable habitat and the current state of landscape connectivity for the species, the dispersal of the wolf would be favorable if stable packs are formed. A new established population in the Pyrenees could lead to more genetic exchange between the Iberian wolf population and the rest of Europe’s wolf populations.