Harmful algal blooms begin to spread unnoticed. Plastic litter slowly travels downstream towards the sea. A restored marine habitat shows the first signs of recovery. How do we keep track of what is happening and when action is needed? Explore the Mission Charter actions using digital technologies to better understand, protect and restore Europe's ocean and waters.
Protecting Europe’s oceans, rivers and lakes begins with understanding the changes taking place within them. Digital innovation is making this possible by helping scientists, authorities and communities monitor ecosystems in real time, anticipate emerging threats and make better informed decisions.
This digital transformation is at the heart of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters and its Digital Ocean and Water Knowledge System. Through initiatives such as the European Digital Twin Ocean, Europe is creating dynamic virtual representations of marine environments, making ocean knowledge more accessible and supporting smarter decisions. Other initiatives, including OceanEye, are strengthening observations capacities, while Horizon Europe continues to support the development of innovative digital solutions for ocean and water protection.
Alongside these EU-led initiatives, the Mission Charter provides a bottom-up pathway and framework for stakeholders to contribute their own actions towards protecting our ocean and waters. The Mission Charter brings together stakeholders committed to developing and implementing practical solutions to protect and restore oceans and waters.
One example comes from WaterCoLab, a Mission Charter action developed under Horizon Europe project FUTURAL. WaterCoLab has developed a portable cloud-based, system for the rapid on-site detection of bacteria in water, starting with Legionella. Working with public water authorities in the rural region of Kozani, the initiative combined real-time analysis with digital monitoring to improve water safety and strengthen resilience to climate-related risks.
Sometimes, the best way to protect nature is to recreate it virtually first. Through its Ecosystem Digital Twin, another Mission Charter action, the Horizon Europe project MAGNO uses advanced digital modelling to explore complex environmental interactions and test solutions in a virtual environment before they are applied in the real world. Most recently, in June 2026, the project hosted a workshop on the Ecosystem Digital Twin, bringing together researchers, industry stakeholders and policymakers to explore how digital solutions can support more circular and environmentally responsible food packaging systems, building on several of their scientific reviews on the topic, which can be found here.
Another example shows how action upstream can help protect the ocean downstream. Rivers carry litter from inland human settlements all the way to the coast, making early detection essential. The Charter Action Clean Rivers, Save Oceans is tackling pollution before it reached marine ecosystems by combining floating barriers, microplastic sampling and digital reporting through the eLitter platform. First implemented in Spain’s Tagus River basin and already replicated in the Júcar River, the initiative demonstrates how harmonised monitoring and shared data can transform local action that can be scaled and replicated elsewhere.
Digital tools also play a crucial role once restoration begins. Restoring ecosystems is only the first step; understanding how it recovers is essential to ensuring long-term success. This is the focus of SUNBIO, a Horizon Europe Mission project and Charter action. By bringing together expertise in restoration ecology, biotechnology, engineering and marine science with advanced monitoring technologies the initiative is helping to track ecosystem recovery and generate the evidence needed to support effective and lasting restoration. Its recent workshop on Posidonia oceanica restoration brought together nearly 100 participants, exchanging knowledge on methodologies in order to optimize the long-term restoration and protection of Mediterranean Posidonia oceanica ecosystems.
The Charter action and Horizon Europe project ACTNOW project helps decision-makers understand the cumulative impacts of climate change and other human pressures on Europe’s coastal and marine ecosystems. By combining biodiversity observations, ecological modelling and knowledge, the initiative identifies areas of high ecological value and provides practical tools to help policymakers and businesses make more nature-positive decisions. A recent project video features ACTNOW scientists sharing how they are tackling some of Europe's most pressing challenges for marine ecosystems through research, monitoring and collaboration.
From detecting invisible threat to guiding restoration, digital technologies are giving Europe a clearer picture of its waters. Because protecting the ocean of tomorrow starts with seeing what is happening today.
The Charter aligns effort between bottom-up efforts and EU initiatives such as Digital Twin Ocean and OceanEye. It helps to create a coherent system that scales local innovation and strengthens shared knowledge – enabling more effective action to protect our ocean and waters.
This article is part of our Mission Charter spotlight series. Stay tuned for more inspiring actions working to restore our ocean and waters!
Join Mission Ocean and Waters by submitting an action to the Mission Charter and explore more innovative solutions in our Charter database.