Spain hosts the 2nd edition of the marine biogeographic seminar that has the support of the Biodiversity Foundation and is held in Mallorca.
Spain is hosting one of the most important meetings in the conservation of marine protected areas. The European Commission is organising the second edition of the Natura 2000 Network’s marine biogeographic seminar, with the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Government of the Balearic Islands.
The meeting brings together more than a hundred managers and experts in Mallorca, until 15 November, with the aim of advancing marine knowledge and strengthening cooperation mechanisms that allow the protection and proper management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, which covers more than 9% of the marine area of the European Union.
The opening ceremony was attended by the Minister of the Environment, Vicenç Vidal; Fotios Papoulias, representing the European Commission’s DG for the Environment and Sonia Castañeda, director of the Biodiversity Foundation.
In her speech, Sonia Castañeda pointed out that “we have a great responsibility and meetings like this help us to work together to face the great challenges of the oceans”.
In addition, he added that Spain is at the forefront in the conservation of marine protected areas. Thanks to the recent declaration of the Mediterranean Cetacean Migration Corridor as a marine protected area, “we have managed to exceed 12% of protected marine waters, which positions us as one of the European countries with the greatest protection of its waters”.
In the European Union as a whole, 10.8% of marine protected area has been reached, thus complying with international commitments to protect at least 10% by 2020.
TOWARDS A NEW MANAGEMENT MODEL
The Biodiversity Foundation has also presented today the LIFE IP INTEMARES project to more than 200 international managers and experts in a session in which the participants of a workshop to exchange experiences of the network of managers of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean, which celebrates its tenth anniversary, have also joined.
The declaration of new marine protected areas is one of the lines of action of LIFE INTEMARES, which is coordinated by the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition, with the aim of achieving effective management of the marine spaces of the Natura 2000 Network with the active participation of the sectors involved and research as basic tools for decision-making.
To date, more than 550 entities and 2,000 participants have already been involved in the project to move towards a new management model for the Natura 2000 Network sites.
LEGISLATION, POLICY AND FUNDING
Following the first biogeographic seminar of the Natura 2000 Network in Saint Malo (France) in 2015, this second edition focuses on legislation, policy and financing.
These topics include setting conservation goals; reference values to assess whether a favourable conservation status of habitats and species is being achieved, as well as the implementation of appropriate conservation measures. Participants will analyse these issues and establish a roadmap for the next two years.
LIFE IP INTERNARES
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition coordinates the LIFE INTEMARES 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, as well as the European Social Fund and the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund, among other sources of funding.
In order to achieve effective management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, an extensive programme of actions linked to governance has been launched; participation; conservation; monitoring and surveillance; environmental awareness and education, as well as financing.
