The Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands (PLOCAN), as the coordinating entity of the European PHAROS project, invites citizens to take part in the first open mega event of the Gran Canaria Living Lab. The event will take place on 29, 30 and 31 January next year and will feature workshops, panel discussions and seminars focused on ocean health, biodiversity, and new opportunities for the blue and circular economy.
According to the European Network of Living Labs (ENoLL), a living lab is a space within the local community that enables the co-creation of solutions and strategies among citizens, academia, policymakers and industry to address the environmental and social challenges faced by a given local ecosystem in its management and/or protection.
The PHAROS project (funded by the European Union under Grant Agreement No. 101157936) aims to reduce marine pollution, restore habitats and increase marine biodiversity, while also promoting the blue and circular economy through the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions (NBS) and the establishment of living labs.
In Gran Canaria, the NBS consists of an experimental approach that combines Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture (IMTA) with the installation of artificial reefs. IMTA is a form of aquaculture in which the cohabitation of different species and crops promotes circularity and the recycling of nutrients and organic matter, thereby reducing their flows and environmental impacts. Artificial reefs, designed to favour colonisation in line with the specific characteristics of the local environment, enhance the creation of new habitats for the feeding and reproduction of native species.
In parallel with this NBS, whose implementation is planned to begin in 2027, living labs will be established within the communities where these solutions are deployed.
Within this context, PHAROS, through PLOCAN and its community liaison partner in Gran Canaria, the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster (CMC), is organising this mega event at the end of January. The programme includes a series of general sessions that are free and open to public participation. These include the Litter Entrepreneurs programme, which addresses marine litter by exploring the current situation, management and recycling measures, and the co-creation of entrepreneurial solutions that add value to the local economy. The general public may also participate in Living Labs, a best-practice protocol for the creation of living labs aimed at co-creating environmental solutions.
Other event programmes, targeted at specific audiences, include Blue Schools, focused on training primary and secondary education centres for certification within the European Network of Blue Schools; Fisher Guardians, aimed at the professional fishing community and focused on the collection and recycling of drifting plastics and abandoned fishing gear; a roundtable discussion on permitting procedures for experimental marine research; and MPA Managers, a series of interviews with managers of marine protected areas from the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Arctic basins, aimed at co-designing a web-based tool to support more efficient management tailored to their specific challenges.
Additional open-access initiatives include MINKA, comprising a session with academic experts in local biodiversity to support species identification using the MINKA citizen science platform, and MINKA Bioblitz, which includes scuba diving excursions (with limited capacity) and walking activities (open access) at various locations for biodiversity photography.
These sessions will be delivered by national and international partners of the PHAROS consortium. Open sessions will be held in Spanish, in person, at the PLOCAN facilities in Taliarte (Telde) and at the Canary Islands Maritime Cluster in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, with the option of remote access via live streaming. Interested participants can find further information on the mega event, including content details, the agenda and registration links, on the official event website: Pharos Mega Events – PHAROS Project.
