New Horizon Europe project to strengthen ocean and freshwater resilience in EU islands

Isla Bonita, a new Horizon Europe project focused on helping Europe’s island regions restore their ocean and freshwater environments, will officially launch on 26 September with its Kick‑off Meeting in La Palma, Canary Islands. The initiative aims to bring together managing authorities, research organisations and local stakeholders from islands across the EU to accelerate climate resilience, nature‑based solutions and sustainable water management.

Over the next five years, Isla Bonita will work with island communities to restore their marine and freshwater ecosystems and enhance their resilience to environmental change. Coordinated by PLOCAN - Plataforma Oceánica de Canarias, the project will develop nine Living Labs, each led by an island authority, where practical demonstrations and policy roadmaps will be co‑developed with local actors.

The AIR Centre joins Isla Bonita as one of the partners contributing to this effort. Building on its experience in the Atlantic and Arctic basins cooperation, science communication and multi‑basin governance, the AIR Centre will support cross‑regional knowledge sharing, strengthen collaboration between lighthouse basins and help connect the project’s island demonstrations with wider Mission Ocean communities. Its role will also includes ensuring that scientific insights and nature‑based solutions developed within the project can be scaled and replicated across the Atlantic.

The Kick‑off Meeting in La Palma marks the start of this collective work, bringing partners together to align priorities, launch the Living Labs and begin shaping the Mission Ocean roadmap for Europe’s islands.