The European Commission has selected the project “Integrated, innovative and participatory management of the Natura 2000 Network in the Spanish marine environment (LIFE IP INTEMARES)” that the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment presented last April to the LIFE call for Integrated Projects.

The LIFE IP INTEMARES project, the first and only integrated nature project in Spain, aims to achieve a consolidated network of marine areas in the Natura 2000 Network managed in an effective and integrated way, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools for decision-making.

Coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation, it has as partners the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, WWF-Spain, SEO/BirdLife, and CEPESCA and the support of the National Federation of Fishermen’s Guilds.

The actions, which will be carried out until 31 December 2024, have a total cost of 49.8 million euros, of which 27.3 million correspond to the contribution of the European Commission through the LIFE Programme. The project will also mobilise other funds: 10.3 million euros from the European Social Fund, 11 million from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, and 1.2 million from the calls for general aid managed by the Biodiversity Foundation.

Another relevant aspect of the project is that it has the collaboration and participation of four other Ministries (of Development, Interior, Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, and Defence), of all the coastal Autonomous Communities and Cities and of the neighbouring countries (Portugal and France) to achieve its objectives. Likewise, throughout the project, different formulas will be implemented to involve many other actors in achieving the challenges of this ambitious initiative.