December 18, 2019- The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO) has today received the first prize of the Society of Maritime Rescue and Safety for the “Best contribution to SDG 14 regarding the conservation of our seas” for its LIFE INTEMARES project, of which the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea of MITECO is also a partner. The director of the project and deputy director of the Biodiversity Foundation, Ignacio Torres, was in charge of collecting the award, accompanied by the Deputy Director General for the Protection of the Sea, Itziar Martín.
In its contribution to the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Salvamento Marítimo, an agency attached to the Ministry of Public Works, has focused its awards in this edition on SDG 14, Life below water, for the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans. This award recognises individuals, associations or companies that have developed initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the need to preserve marine ecosystems and promote actions to combat pollution in the seas.
The awards have been established in three categories, each defined by a specific field. LIFE INTEMARES has been awarded in category 1 for its commitment, sensitivity and dedication to the protection of marine life and conservation. The jury also valued the innovation and scope of the project. “Spain’s great commitment to the conservation of marine biodiversity”, said Ignacio Torres.
IMPROVING THE HEALTH OF OUR SEAS
The LIFE INTEMARES project aims to achieve effective management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, the largest network of protected areas in the world. To this end, this management must be based on two basic pillars: the active participation of socio-economic sectors and sea users and research as a basic tool for decision-making. To achieve this goal, it is carrying out a broad programme of actions aimed at the conservation of species and habitats, research, surveillance and monitoring, governance and training, as well as communication, awareness and marine environmental education.
Throughout these first three years of the project, significant progress has been made towards achieving the objective of effectively managing almost 300 marine protected areas. The declaration of new marine protected areas is one of the lines of action of LIFE INTEMARES, which has set itself the goal of declaring 9 new areas, a commitment that was set out at the last Our Ocean 2019 summit, thus increasing the 12% of marine protected area that Spain already has. To this end, 9 oceanographic campaigns have been carried out to find out the ecological values of these areas.
PARTICIPATORY PROCESSES
The planning of the uses and activities that take place in these spaces is another of the keys, for which participatory processes have already been promoted for the preparation of 80 management plans. Conservation strategies and plans are also being developed for 34 species of community interest.
Within the framework of the project, work is also being done to improve coordination, knowledge and participation in the management of users and managers of these spaces, for which governance and training strategies are being finalised and a dozen training sessions have been held for the Navy and the Maritime Service of the Civil Guard. with the participation of more than 1,000 public employees.
Among other actions of the project, a citizen science programme has been promoted, the goods and services of marine ecosystems are being studied, and 100 projects aimed at the sustainability of the fishing sector have been supported, through the Pleamar Programme, co-financed by the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund.
Within the integration of actors and funding for marine conservation that the project pursues, we also collaborate with 30 projects within the framework of the Empleverde Programme, co-financed by the European Social Fund, which has served to create 31 companies and support 450 entrepreneurs in the green and blue sector.
Participation is key within the framework of the project, and thanks to the 79 processes promoted to date, it has been possible to involve almost 4,000 people and 1,200 organisations, providing a unique scenario to promote and explore the opportunities offered by the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network to become reference areas. in a model based on research and committed to the conservation of marine values and resources within the framework of a blue economy.
LIFE IP INTERNARES
The LIFE IP INTEMARES project aims to achieve a network of marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network managed in an effective and integrated way, with the active participation of the sectors involved and research as basic tools for decision-making. The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition coordinates the project. The General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea of the same ministry, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF-Spain participate as partners. It has the financial contribution of the European Union’s LIFE programme, among other sources of funding.
