The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment is present at the international seminar on the management of Natura 2000 areas held in the town of Jurmala, Latvia. 200 people, representing different projects and countries, analyse the process of declaration and management of Natura 2000 areas that has been carried out in the Baltic Sea over the last 5 years. The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment is present at the international seminar on the management of Natura 2000 areas held in Jurmala, Latvia. In it, 200 people, representing different projects and countries, analyse the process of declaration and management of Natura 2000 areas that has been carried out in the Baltic Sea over the last 5 years.

This exchange of information and experiences is particularly important as it is very similar to the project  LIFE+ INDEMARES, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation. The information collected in this seminar will be used for the future management of marine protected areas whose declaration has made significant progress in Spain in the last two years thanks to this project.

The main objective of LIFE+ INDEMARES has been to contribute to the protection and sustainable use of biodiversity in Spanish seas through work to identify areas of value for the Natura 2000 Network. This project began in 2009 and is in its final phase. It has a budget of 15.4 million euros, 50% co-financed by the European Commission and has a participatory approach, integrating the work of leading institutions in the field of management, research and conservation of the marine environment and sea users, especially the fishing sector. Thanks to its work in recent years, Spain has seen an increase in the number of marine protected areas, which has gone from 1% to 8% of the total marine area.