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Short abstract

Marine ecosystems are threatened with unpredictable levels of species extinctions. Our research on marine biodiversity fieldwork practices shows how techno-solutionist expectations are replaced by expectations of a solution-oriented integration of knowledge about sea-society transformation.

Long abstract

Human-induced climate change threatens marine ecosystems with unpredictable lev-els of species extinctions. Marine biodiversity research is often associated with the hope of creating knowledge leading to more resilient marine ecosystems that are able to resist, adapt to, and recover from stress such as ocean warming and acidification.

However, in our three-year study and extensive participant observation of five marine research sites in Europe (France, Germany, and Italy) and overseas (Papua New Guinea) dealing with marine biodiversity, the notion of “resilience” was largely absent during fieldwork practices. Within the panel we would like to discuss what this absence of the resilience notion during marine biodiversity fieldwork teaches us.

How do marine biodiversity scientists deal (or not deal) with techno(solutionist) expectations during fieldwork? How is the perception of marine scientists, who are expected to provide solutions for resilient oceans, being replaced by more diverse forms of knowledge? We discuss those questions through two concepts: socio-marine interde-pendencies and socio-marine infrastructures. Returning or “bouncing back” to a previous state of marine ecosystems may no longer seen as desirable by marine biodiversity researchers. Our research shows how techno-solutionist expectations are replaced by expectations of a solution-oriented integration of knowledge about sea-society transformation.