- IMPAC5 brings together marine conservation managers and practitioners from around the world, as well as government representatives, to work for the protection of the ocean
- This is an opportunity to exchange knowledge, experiences and good practices to strengthen the conservation of marine biodiversity and protect the natural and cultural heritage of the ocean
- During the congress, different advances of the LIFE INTEMARES project, results and lessons learned in the six years of its journey will be presented, as well as the upcoming challenges
February 6, 2023.- The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge, which coordinates the LIFE INTEMARES project, participates in the 5th International Congress of Marine Protected Areas (IMPAC5), which brings together managers and specialists in the conservation of marine protected areas from around the world in Canada until 9 February. The IMPAC, which is held every four years, is one of the main forums for debate and exchange of experiences worldwide to join efforts and support best practices in the use and management of marine protected areas, in order to achieve the effective conservation of marine biodiversity and the natural and cultural heritage of the ocean. This fifth edition of IMPAC, organized by the Government of Canada, in collaboration with the Canadian Nature and Parks Society and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), provides countries with a meeting forum to chart the course for ocean conservation in line with the Kunming-Montreal Global Framework for Biodiversity. which includes the protection of 30% of the ocean until 2030. The congress also provides opportunities to establish alliances and contacts with networks, organizations, managers of marine protected areas and other actors in the marine environment at the international level, as well as to seek cooperation with other projects.
PARTICIPATION IN THE LIFE INTEMARES PROJECT
In this framework, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), through the Biodiversity Foundation and the Directorate General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification, participated last Saturday in the thematic session entitled “Geopolitics and cross-border cooperation”, presenting the advances in the management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network in Spain promoted through the LIFE INTEMARES project. During the session, the results and lessons learned in the six years of the project, whose objective is the effective management of the marine Natura 2000 Network through participation and science, were presented. Among the most innovative issues, the development of participatory process methodologies for the development of management plans for marine protected areas, the design and application of new technologies for the monitoring of marine biodiversity, the materials and tools designed for communication and awareness-raising, and the system put in place to direct financing to marine conservation were mentioned. The challenges of the coming years were also presented, including the declaration of seven marine areas as a Natura 2000 Network before 2024 and the approval of 44 management plans. The LIFE INTEMARES project will also be represented next Wednesday in a second thematic session on “Long-term sustainability: Networks of MPA managers that make a difference”, in which the contribution of the project to the strengthening of networks of managers of Marine Protected Areas, including the Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain (RAMPE), will be presented.
EFFECTIVE MANAGEMENT OF PROTECTED AREAS
The LIFE INTEMARES project is moving towards the objective of achieving effective management of the marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, with the active participation of the sectors involved and with research as the basic tools.
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge coordinates the project. The Ministry itself, through the Directorate-General for Biodiversity, Forests and Desertification and the Sub-Directorate for the Protection of the Sea; the Regional Government of Andalusia, through the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Sustainable Development, as well as the Environment and Water Agency; the Spanish Institute of Oceanography; AZTI; the University of Alicante; the Polytechnic University of Valencia; the Spanish Fisheries Confederation, SEO/BirdLife and WWF Spain. It is supported by the LIFE Program of the European Union.
