ASOCIACION ECOPATH INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVE

Their core work

Ecopath International Initiative (EII) is a non-profit association that develops and supports the Ecopath with Ecosim (EwE) ecosystem modeling approach — one of the most widely used tools for quantitative marine ecosystem analysis worldwide. Based near Barcelona, they provide scientific expertise in modeling food webs, assessing ecosystem health, and evaluating the impact of fishing and climate change on marine environments. Their work translates complex ecological data into actionable management tools for fisheries and marine conservation across European and tropical Atlantic seas.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

EII's early H2020 work (2016-2019) centered on marine biodiversity and habitat restoration in European seas, with a strong ecological conservation focus. From 2019 onward, their emphasis shifted toward climate prediction, sustainable development, and fisheries management — moving from understanding and restoring ecosystems to actively predicting and managing them under climate pressure. This trajectory shows a clear pivot from descriptive ecology toward operational, management-oriented ecosystem science.

EII is moving toward decision-support tools for sustainable ocean management under climate change, making them increasingly relevant for applied marine policy and blue economy projects.

How they like to work

EII participates exclusively as a partner, never as coordinator, which is consistent with their role as a specialized modeling group that contributes deep technical expertise to large research consortia. With 85 unique partners across 31 countries in just 3 projects, they operate in very large international consortia (averaging ~28 partners per project). This means they are well-connected and experienced at working within complex multi-partner structures — a reliable specialist contributor rather than a project driver.

Despite only three projects, EII has collaborated with 85 distinct partners across 31 countries, reflecting their participation in large-scale European and transatlantic research consortia. Their network spans well beyond Europe into tropical and South Atlantic regions.

What sets them apart

EII is the institutional home of the Ecopath with Ecosim modeling framework, giving them a unique position as the go-to partner for quantitative marine ecosystem modeling in EU projects. Unlike university marine biology departments, they exist specifically to maintain, develop, and apply this modeling toolset across diverse marine contexts. For any consortium needing rigorous food web modeling or ecosystem-based management analysis, EII brings a globally recognized methodology with a dedicated team.

Highlights from their portfolio

• EcoScope
  Their largest project by funding (EUR 275,625), representing a significant step into fisheries management and their most recent work (2021-2025).
• TRIATLAS
  Extended their geographic scope beyond EU seas into the tropical and South Atlantic, demonstrating capacity for global-scale climate-ocean research.