The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has participated in a meeting on the protection of marine areas of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea that is being held in Gammarth, Tunisia, between 9 and 12 June 2015. Representatives of the National Institute of Marine Science and Technology of Tunisia are also participating, as Tunisian partners of ECOSAFIMED.

This event brings together a large representation of experts in marine protected areas and representatives of coordination centres and organisations from Mediterranean countries, to assess the progress made so far in the protection of marine areas and to take stock of the available knowledge on Mediterranean marine areas of special interest due to their importance for the conservation of biodiversity. especially in relation to critical habitats for cetaceans and the sustainability of fisheries.

During the meeting, a session was dedicated to publicize the situation and development of the ENPI-ECOSAFIMED project and to involve the associated entities present at the meeting. The National Institute of Marine Science and Technology of Tunisia presented the progress and preliminary results, including guidelines for the sustainable management of artisanal fisheries and proposals for the conservation of benthic ecosystems.
 
The meeting also includes several conferences and a workshop on the effectiveness of MPAs, including the habitats of cetaceans, which are critically endangered. The protection of marine areas has proven useful in the conservation of marine ecosystems, in the restoration of degraded habitats and in the recovery of declining species. Their role in economic and social development and in ensuring sustainable livelihoods is increasingly recognized.
 
The event is jointly organized by regional organizations that promote the development and reinforcement of marine protected areas and responds to the coordination process in which they are immersed aimed at improving harmonization for the establishment of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). These are the Regional Activity Centre for Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), the Secretariat of the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and the Secretariat of the Monaco Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Contiguous Area (ACCOBAMS). MedPAN, the network of protected area managers in the Mediterranean, also participates.