Delivered last Wednesday, November 8 in Glasgow (Scotland) at the opening session of the Atlantic Stakeholder Platform conference.

The MISTIC SEAS project, of which the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment is a partner, has been awarded in the second edition of the Atlantic Project Awards. These awards, organised by the European Commission and presented last Wednesday, November 8 in Glasgow (Scotland) at the opening session of the Atlantic Stakeholder Platform conference, recognize projects developed in the geographical area covered by the Atlantic Strategy and that are relevant to implement the Atlantic Action Plan within the framework of the Marine Strategies.

MISTIC SEAS, which covered the period from December 2015 to February 2017, aimed to design a common methodology for the monitoring of marine biodiversity in the Macaronesia region, one of the most biodiverse areas in Europe, focusing on the populations of cetacean, turtle and seabird species and to establish a common roadmap to improve coordination in the implementation of the Framework Directive of the Marine Strategy in Spain and Portugal (Azores, Madeira and the Canary Islands).

Six projects have been recognized at the Atlantic Project Awards. Mistic Seas has won in the marine and Atlantic coastal environment category, and the winners in the rest of the categories have been: “Ecoponics” in entrepreneurship and innovation; “Tapas H2020” in accessibility and connectivity; “Marea Project” in sustainability; “Raia” in international cooperation; and the project “Weaving seas of solidarity”, beneficiary of the 2015 call for grants of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment, has won the special prize. This project had a double objective: to raise awareness of the importance of our oceans, and to carry out solidarity work. An ocean woven with blankets was made in schools and centers for the elderly.

The MISTIC SEAS project, coordinated by the Regional Fund for Science and Technology (Regional Government of the Azores), had as partners the Regional Directorate for Marine Affairs (Regional Government of the Azores), the Regional Secretariat for Environment and Natural Resources (Regional Government of Madeira), the General Directorate of Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services of the Government of Portugal, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment of Spain through the General Directorate of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea and the Biodiversity Foundation, and the Spanish Institute of Oceanography.