The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment (MAPAMA) has strengthened cooperation mechanisms for the protection of the marine environment in Spain within the framework of the largest marine conservation project in Europe, LIFE IP INTEMARES, coordinated by MAPAMA through the Biodiversity Foundation.
In this context, the conference “Collaboration between MAPAMA and the Navy in the field of protection of the marine environment, the particular case of the Natura 2000 Network” was held today at the Navy headquarters, with the participation of the Director General of Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea, Raquel Orts, and the assistance of nearly 50 commanders and officers from the Navy directorates located in Madrid.
During the meeting, Orts highlighted the close ties of collaboration that exist between the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment and the Ministry of Defence and that have been strengthened in recent months with the implementation of various lines of action.
Specifically, key aspects of coordination between the two ministries will be reinforced, including the monitoring and surveillance of Spanish marine spaces. In this area, at the proposal of the Navy, the areas of the Natura 2000 Network will be incorporated into the Framework Plan for maritime surveillance of the Operations Command of the Defence Staff.
Likewise, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and the Environment and the Navy will collaborate in the preparation and updating of the management plans of the Natura 2000 Network and in the species conservation plans, which are developed within the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project.
In the field of training, joint actions have also been promoted with the Navy with the aim of improving the knowledge necessary for the management of the Natura 2000 Network areas in the marine environment.
NAVY TRAINING PLAN
Along these lines, a training plan for the Navy has been launched, with five training sessions, of which two have already been held at the El Ferrol base, in which more than 400 students from the Navy Schools have participated.
Among the contents taught, the surveillance activities of the areas that are part of the Natura 2000 Network, the use of new technologies for the study and monitoring of the marine environment, the sighting of cetaceans and other protected species, as well as logistical support in research tasks, have been addressed. The training program will continue during 2018.
The Ministry of Defence is a key ally in meeting the objectives of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project for better management of the marine environment, in which three other ministries also participate in addition to MAPAMA (Interior, Development and Foreign Affairs and Cooperation), as well as the coastal autonomous communities and cities.
PARTICIPATION OF THE SECTORS INVOLVED
LIFE IP INTEMARES, the largest marine environment conservation project in Europe, has as its main objective to achieve a network of Natura 2000 Network spaces, managed effectively, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as basic tools for decision-making.
The Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environment coordinates the project through the Biodiversity Foundation, and acts as a partner through the Directorate General for Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea.
An extensive programme of actions linked to research, monitoring and surveillance, conservation, governance and participation, as well as communication, awareness and environmental education on marine biodiversity and the Natura 2000 Network will be implemented until 2024. With this initiative, Spain will be able to effectively and sustainably protect more than 10% of its marine surface.
