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SESAME aims to assess and predict changes in the Mediterranean and Black Sea ecosystems as well as changes in the ability of these ecosystems to provide goods and services. The innovative character of SESAME is reflected in the close merging of economic and natural sciences.

SESAME aims to assess and predict changes in the Mediterranean and Black Sea ecosystems as well as changes in the ability of these ecosystems to provide goods and services.

The innovative character of SESAME is reflected in the close merging of economic and natural sciences.

First, mathematical models, validated and upgraded using existing and new observations, are used to predict ecosystem responses to changes in climate and anthropogenic forcings during the next five decades.

Second, SESAME studies the effect of the ecosystem’s variability on key goods and services with high societal importance like tourism, fisheries, ecosystem stability through conservation of biodiversity and mitigation of climate change through carbon sequestration in water and sediments.

The project aims at stimulating and strengthening international cooperation in the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions through the participation of research organizations from Member States, Associated States, Associated Candidate countries, non-EU Mediterranean and NIS countries as well as international organizations.

A parallel objective is also to provide an integrated platform for training, education and outreach, which will ensure that the excitement of the scientific results will be transmitted to all levels of society.

The scientific contribution of FEEM within SESAME is threefold.

First, FEEM proposes to tailor a Computable General Equilibrium model of the world economy to the regions directly involved in SESAME. This requires the development of a consistent modeling framework that will be able to integrate environmental and social economic aspects and is done by updating and adapting an existing model — the Global Trade Analysis Project (GTAP) model — to the specific research needs.

Second, FEEM proposes to explore the potential of a micro-economic valuation approach to assess, in monetary terms, the effects of the ecosystems under consideration on tourism, biodiversity conservation and mitigation of climate change through carbon sequestration in water and sediments. A set of case studies is identified.

Third, FEEM cooperates in the design of integrated scenarios and in the second round of deliberation with stakeholders and in the evaluation and ranking of scenarios.