A-AAGORA Spring School: Upscaling coastal restoration solutions with nature and people
A-AAGORA Spring School brings coastal restoration learning to the University of Aveiro
The A-AAGORA Spring School – “Upscaling Coastal Restoration Solutions with nature and people” took place at the University of Aveiro from 20 to 24 April 2026, bringing together students, young professionals and researchers interested in coastal restoration and sustainable management of marine and coastal ecosystems.
Over five days, participants explored how Nature-based Solutions and Ecosystem-based Management can support the protection, restoration and resilience of coastal areas. The programme combined lectures, interactive sessions, group work, a serious game, field activities and moments of exchange with experts and decision-makers.
A-AAGORA celebrates European Maritime Day in My Country in Aveiro
On 21 April, participants took part in a boat tour within one of the intervention areas of the Portuguese demonstrator (DEMO‑PT) of the A‑AAGORA project, providing direct contact with the territory where participatory approaches to the restoration and governance of coastal systems are being developed and tested.
This activity allowed participants to observe in situ the relevance of coastal and lagoon ecosystems in the context of blue carbon, as well as to discuss concrete challenges related to their restoration, monitoring, and sustainable management. The tour also created space for joint reflection on the role of Nature‑based Solutions and Ecosystem‑Based Management as integrated responses to the environmental and climate pressures affecting these territories, in line with the objectives of the DEMO‑PT and the A‑AAGORA project. The initiative further contributed to strengthening ocean literacy by bringing young professionals, students, and researchers closer to solutions that can support the protection of coastal ecosystems and the resilience of local communities.
A-AAGORA Spring School hosts high-level workshop on policies for coastal restoration
As part of the A-AAGORA Spring School, the University of Aveiro hosted a High-Level Policy Workshop dedicated to the enabling conditions needed to scale up coastal ecosystem restoration solutions.
The session took place on 23 April, at the Academic Acts Hall of the Rectorate Building of the University of Aveiro, and brought together Spring School participants, researchers, experts and representatives from organisations working in coastal management, innovation, science, regional governance and European projects.
The programme included two discussion panels. The first panel, “Protecting and restoring coastal ecosystems to deliver healthy biodiversity: sources of inspiration”, presented examples, experiences and sources of inspiration for the protection and restoration of coastal ecosystems. After the initial interventions, participants from the A-AAGORA Spring School contributed to the debate through questions addressed to the panellists, bringing their own perspectives, contexts and experiences into the discussion.
The first panel featured Linn Bruholt, from UiT The Arctic University of Norway; Patrícia Castro, from the Intermunicipal Community of the Aveiro Region (CIRA); Mihai Nicolescu, from the University Politehnica of Bucharest; Martin Buca, from Split-Dalmatia County; and Darragh O’Súilleabháin, from Cork County Council (CCC).
The second panel, “Setting the right conditions to scale up coastal ecosystem restoration”, focused on the conditions needed to scale up coastal restoration actions. This panel featured Adriana Alcalde, from the Municipality of Llanes and the Philippe Cousteau Foundation; Renato Pires, from the Regional Fund for Science and Technology of the Vice-Presidency of the Regional Government; Maria Manuel Cruz, from the Port of Aveiro; Ana Figueiredo, from the Intermunicipal Community of the Coimbra Region; Manuel Freitas de Sousa, from Asociación Amicos, on behalf of the Regional Government of Galicia; and Inês Machado, from WavEC, representing the CLIMAREST project.
By fostering dialogue between different institutions, territories and fields of expertise, the workshop enabled the exchange of experiences on the challenges and opportunities associated with the protection, recovery and sustainable management of coastal areas.
This moment strengthened the dialogue between science, society and public policy, promoting exchange among different stakeholders and helping translate scientific knowledge into concrete strategies
The Spring School created a collaborative learning environment where participants could connect science, society and policy, while developing practical ideas for restoring coastal ecosystems and addressing environmental and climate-related challenges.
By the end of the week, participants presented their group work, shared reflections on the learning experience and received certificates, marking the conclusion of an intensive programme focused on turning knowledge into action for coastal restoration.
