The present proposal integrates the call topic a) Collaborative Research emphasizing emerging issues under the Quality of Life concept, including food security and biodiversity. The proposal aims to increase the knowledge on ecological dynamics of the Luanda Bay (Angola) and recommend environmental mitigation strategies to improve water quality, thereby benefiting local communities, improving the current understanding of environmental and human health risks associated to harmful algal blooms (HABs) (e.g., Ciguatera Fish Poisoning-CFP) and promoting a sustainable development of nature-related activities. The proposal will develop and expand existing initiatives and on-going collaborations between academic and research institutions in order to lead to scientific capacity building in Angola, namely in the Instituto Nacional de Investigação Pesqueira (INIP), Agostinho Neto University (ANU) and environmental NGOs through collaborations with University of Algarve (UALG) and Marine Sciences Centre (CCMAR), that is the coordinator of the proposal. To sustain future actions, a Collaborative Centre of Excellence in Marine Science for Africa (CCEMAR) will to be jointly established by the project partners at INIP, aimed to stand as a reference for international research in critical and/or emerging topics in tropical and subtropical marine research with an impact also in Europe especially due to the climate change and tropicalization of the southern regions.
