The COST Action CA19107/UN Ocean Decade project 221 Unifying approaches to Marine Connectivity for Improved
Resource Management for the Seas (SEA-UNICORN) announce the official publication in the Marine Ecology Progress Series journal of a Theme Section on Marine Functional Connectivity (MFC). Organized by SEA-UNICORN, this special issue gathers 17 original research papers, illustrating the range of approaches and scales applied in contemporary MFC studies and the diversity of ecosystems and taxa studied worldwide. The innovative approaches presented both enrich current understanding of the role of MFC in ecosystem functioning and pave the way to improving MFC knowledge use for the conservation and management of marine and coastal habitats. The 17 articles in the Theme section and its introductory paper are all available online in full open access :
A cartoon video to explain Marine Functional Connectivity and its importance for ocean management is available in French (https://youtu.be/uVL163equzI), in english https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrklmquNP1s and in Italian (https://youtu.be/W51NaZqt2to), stresses the importance of marine biodiversity and its movements (referred to as Marine functional Connectivity), for the functioning of ecosystems, both at sea and at the sea-continent interface. It explains how Marine functional Connectivity is described by scientists, and why it is essential to take it into account for the sustainable management of marine ecosystems and resources. A Spanish version of the video is also currently in preparation...