The partners of the ECOSAFIMED Project of the ENPI CBC MED programme have met in Barcelona with associated entities after the fifth meeting of the Project Management Committee. This was the first meeting in which the partners were able to take stock of the activities carried out after 18 months of project implementation in the 6 study areas to assess the impact of artisanal fishing on Mediterranean benthic communities.
During the meeting, which was attended by the director of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment, Sonia Castañeda, the preliminary results obtained from on-board surveys and oceanographic campaigns carried out in Tunisia, Spain and Italy during 2014 and 2015 were assessed. In addition, they exchanged views on recommendations for the signing of agreements with fishermen for responsible fisheries and on the development and guidelines for sustainable fisheries management.
The partners have also provided some evidence on the presence of areas of high ecological value for conservation in the areas of study of the project that could be proposed as marine protected areas under the European Directives and/or the Barcelona Convention.
In conclusion, the partners reiterated their commitment to fully collaborate with partners to support and integrate the results achieved into their programmes and activities. In particular, the development of guidelines for the sustainable management of artisanal fisheries based on scientific evidence. This support reinforces the high potential for impact and replicability of the project, to which the partners can contribute significantly through dissemination to public institutions, fishermen and the general public in the Mediterranean basin and globally.
Different entities dedicated to the protection and improvement of the marine environment and sustainable development in the Mediterranean participate as partners in the ECOSAFIT project. From the beginning of the project, they committed to collaborate to promote the exchange of information and strengthen the project’s contribution to the implementation of the EU Directives and the Barcelona Convention.
Project partners include national and international organizations, including the Regional Activity Centre for Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), the Secretariat of the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), the Mediterranean Protected Area Managers Network (MedPAN), the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Spain, the General Directorate of Fisheries and Aquaculture of Tunisia, the Institute for the Marine and Coastal Environment of Messina (Italy), the Tunisian Union for Fisheries and Agriculture and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
ECOSAFIMED AND ENPI CBC MED PROGRAM
With an endowment of 1.9 million euros, the ECOSAFIMED project promotes responsible fishing practices and communication between research and the artisanal fishing sector in order to contribute to the conservation of marine ecosystems. The final objective of the project is the development of management recommendations for artisanal fisheries studied in the Mediterranean, so that they are compatible with a good state of conservation of marine habitats.
Likewise, the project plans to detect areas of value to be proposed as Marine Protected Areas under European directives and/or the Barcelona Convention. ECOSAFIMED is one of the 39 projects that were beneficiaries of the 1,095 submitted to the second call of the ENPI CBC MED Program 2007-2013.
The European ENPI Mediterranean Basin programme is a cross-border cooperation initiative that is part of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Policy instrument (EIPV-ENPI). The aim of the programme is to promote cooperation between the regions on both shores of the Mediterranean in order to face common challenges and to make the most of their endogenous potential.
A total of 14 countries are beneficiaries of the programme, representing 76 territories and nearly 110 million inhabitants: Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Malta, Palestinian Authority, Portugal, Spain, Syria and Tunisia.
The programme has a budget of 200 million, from the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Policy Instrument and the contribution to each project amounts to a maximum of 90% of the total cost.
The funded projects deal with various topics related to the promotion of socioeconomic and territorial development, through support for innovation, and research; sustainable development and energy efficiency throughout the Mediterranean basin; the improvement of the conditions and modalities of movement of people, goods and capital or the promotion of dialogue between cultures and governance.
Information on the ECOSAFIMED project and the ENPI CBC MED Programme can be found on the websites of ENPI CBC MED and the EuropeAid Development and Cooperation Office.
This publication has been produced with the financial support of the European Union within the framework of the ENPI CBC Mediterranean Basin Programme. The contents of this document are the sole responsibility of the Biodiversity Foundation and may not be considered under any circumstances to reflect the position of the European Union or the management structures of the Programme.
