The project aims to develop knowledge of planktonic ecosystems and their integration into current fisheries and climate work. The project will allow the establishment of a plankton imaging platform based in Dakar, which will offer a training program for academic institutions.

Plankt’Eco responds to the need for a better understanding of planktonic ecosystems and their integration in fishery and climate work. It aims to foster exchanges and scientific collaborations between countries in South America, West Africa, and Europe. The objectives of the project are to 1) improve microbiome and zooplankton models and dynamic maps for the analysis of carbon sequestration and fish stock monitoring; 2) reinforce the capacity of partners in the South to contribute to and advance existing knowledge of the microbiome via an imagery platform to be established in Dakar, modeled after the LOV’s Quantitative Imagery Platform (PIQv); 3) promote the microbiome in the various governing bodies dedicated to marine biodiversity and support the negotiation and adoption of an international treaty on ocean biodiversity, as well as contribute to other marine conservation efforts.