More than 700 organisations and thousands of people have already joined the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, with the aim of achieving effective management of marine protected areas together.
The integration of social agents is the backbone of the battery of actions that are being carried out in the marine areas of the largest network of protected areas in the world, the Natura 2000 Network. Specifically, more than a dozen participatory processes have been initiated to actively involve socio-economic sectors and citizens in the development of management plans that make uses and activities compatible with the conservation of natural values in marine protected areas.
An example of this is the participatory workshops that have been held since May in the Canary Islands to update the management plans of 24 marine Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). This phase will conclude with workshops in Lanzarote and Fuerteventura at the end of June and in Gran Canaria at the beginning of July.
Along these lines, the first steps have also been taken towards the preparation of the management plans for the El Cachucho Marine Protected Area and 12 areas of the Natura 2000 Network under the jurisdiction of the General State Administration off the coast of the Levant, as well as the 46 Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs) distributed throughout all the demarcations.
Participatory processes have also been carried out for the preparation of the future master plan of the Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain (RAMPE), as well as training and governance strategies, which will establish the mechanisms to move towards more inclusive and participatory models in the management of marine protected areas. Highlighting the conservation of our seas and the importance of citizen participation is one of the objectives of the Environmental Volunteering Programme, in which the following have been more than 3,600 volunteers have already been involved in all marine demarcations. Tomorrow, June 9, the entity GOB Mallorca organizes an activity to remove waste from the beach of Tirant in Menorca, within the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES.
EXPLORING THE DEPTHS
In addition to social participation, science is a fundamental pillar to achieve effective management of marine protected areas and progress continues in oceanographic research. A new campaign will sail our seas at the end of June. The Ramón Margalef ship will set sail from Santander to investigate the depths of the Cap Bretón canyon, in the Cantabrian Sea, with the aim of improving knowledge of this area and obtaining a solid scientific basis that allows the declaration of this protected area.
With 12% of its waters protected, Spain is at the forefront in Europe in marine conservation and Cap Bretón is one of the new areas that they want to declare to expand the network of protected areas. The list also includes the seabed of southern Mallorca and Cabo Tiñoso in Murcia, where oceanographic campaigns have been carried out for their possible future declaration, among other spaces. In recent months, oceanographic campaigns have also been carried out to assess the effects of fishing on the marine Natura 2000 Network, specifically in the Menorca Channel, Avilés Canyon and Banco de la Concepción in the north of Lanzarote.
SPECIES CONSERVATION
Spain has 10,300 species in its marine waters, which represents 5% of the total in the world. Some of them are threatened and require special protection. In the case of sea turtles, and specifically the loggerhead turtle, there has been an increase in nesting on our beaches during the summer months in recent years.
To guarantee their protection and strengthen coordination between all the agents involved, a reference action protocol is being finalised at the national level. The first steps have also been taken in the development of the conservation plan for the porpoise, the smallest cetacean in the North Atlantic. Likewise, an extensive cetacean migration corridor in the Mediterranean has been declared of vital importance for the survival of many species.
Threatened seabirds such as the Balearic shearwater, the lesser shearwater and the little shearwater also have protection measures through the actions promoted in LIFE INTEMARES. In addition, the conservation strategy of the ferruginous macaw has begun to be updated and actions are being carried out to improve the conservation status of the prickly pear, in a critical situation. Marine conservation is also supported by the integration of other funds, through which complementary actions and measures aligned with the objectives of LIFE IP INTEMARES are financed. There are already 128 projects linked to LIFE INTEMARES that have the support of the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and the Biodiversity Foundation, among others.
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.
