NERC Value of Marine Artificial Structures (ValMAS)

Support for research to determine the ecological, economic and social value of marine artificial structures (MAS) in order to inform decision-making and policy solutions for their management.

The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) Value of Marine Artificial Structures (ValMAS) scheme offers funding to increase understanding of the ecological, economic and social value of the natural capital of marine artificial structures (MAS) in order to inform decision-making and policy solutions for management for all life stages.

MAS comprise offshore oil, gas and wind energy infrastructure, as well as shipwrecks, and there is a growing body of evidence about the effects of such structures on the marine environment (eg shifts in microbial communities/faunal assemblages within the sediments around MAS, and the formation of highly diverse benthic communities on artificial hard surfaces, including species of conservation importance like cold water corals). However, knowledge gaps are limiting the understanding of the wider environmental effects of MAS. There is also a lack of understanding about environmental effects directly from MAS and their use (eg contaminants in drill cuttings/pipelines; physical effects of pylons, moorings and cables; and sedimentary biogeochemical processes).

Further evidence on the ecological functioning and connectivity of biological communities associated with MAS, collectively referred to as ‘natural capital’, is necessary to better understand and quantify the flows of ecosystem services and potential benefits to the wider environment, society and economy that is not currently considered when decommissioning decisions are made or when new MAS are deployed.

Policy makers require a more comprehensive understanding of the value of biodiversity associated with MAS. They also need to understand the environmental effects, including the potential costs of decommissioning activities, to support decision-making about what outcomes are best for the marine environment when decommissioning the ever-growing numbers of MAS in UK waters.

The ValMAS research programme has three objectives:

• Develop an enhanced understanding of the ecological relationships, trophic and biogeochemical dynamics, and pressures on marine life associated with MAS.
• Apply novel marine natural capital approaches, including ecosystem service assessment and evaluation of ecosystem benefits, to understand the environmental value of MAS and the benefits and risks to nature, economy and society over their life cycle, from deployment to decommissioning.
• Accelerate the impact of robust evidence, new approaches and tools that support nature positive decision-making in decommissioning, nature recovery and cross-industry marine management in the North Sea, including oil and gas, offshore wind, and fisheries.

There are two research challenges within the ValMAS programme that will both need to be addressed by proposals:

• Challenge one: Develop an enhanced understanding of the environmental effects and ecological consequences of MAS in the North Sea basin across their full lifecycle.
• Challenge two: Deliver the evidence base and assessment tools, using a natural capital approach, to inform the development of robust approaches to the decommissioning of MAS alongside supporting sustainable nature recovery, fisheries and cross-industry marine management.

One outcome of the ValMAS programme will be to enhance understanding of the ecological, economic and social value of MAS natural capital in the context of other stressors and climate change. Projects will also demonstrate research advances in using the latest modelling techniques to inform and support better understanding of ecological interactions, trophic dynamics and provision of critical ecosystem services of MAS natural capital. There should be a sound, accessible and user-friendly evidence base to inform decision-making and policy solutions for managing all stages of the life cycle of MAS in a nature positive way.