Project COLAPA-3D

The COLAPA-3D project has as its main objective to develop and test an innovative model for local monitoring and co-management of limpets (Patella spp.) harvesting in the Azores, integrating traditional knowledge and 3D digital technologies applied to mapping and monitoring harvesting areas. Through the use of photogrammetry and three-dimensional habitat reconstruction, the project aims to identify spatial and population patterns, sensitive areas, and zones of highest extraction pressure, co-designing with harvesters and management entities measures for regulation and good harvesting practices. COLAPA-3D proposes the use of new tools and methodologies based on 3D technology as support for participatory, sustainable, and informed co-management of intertidal resources. The aim is to enhance the role of local gatherers as holders of ecological knowledge essential for the conservation and responsible use of limpets, while simultaneously promoting the ecological and sociocultural resilience of artisanal gathering. By combining science, technology, and the gatherers' local ecological knowledge, COLAPA-3D contributes to the objectives of sustainability and the valorization of Azorean marine heritage, strengthening the integration between scientific research and community management of coastal resources.