The Ministry for Ecological Transition (MITECO), through the Directorate General for Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea and within the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project, has organised the participatory workshop for the preparation of the Master Plan for the Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain (RAMPE) and the definition of common criteria for the coordinated and coherent management of the Network.
The meeting was attended by representatives of five autonomous communities (Andalusia, the Canary Islands, Cantabria, Catalonia and the Valencian Community), the General Directorate of Biodiversity and Environmental Quality of MITECO and the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. The conference has made it possible to analyse and agree on the key points included in the draft Master Plan of the Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain (RAMPE), including the common criteria for coordinated and coherent management of the Network.
This document, prepared by the Ministry for Ecological Transition, is presented as the basic tool to achieve a coordinated network of marine protected areas, as established in the Law on the Protection of the Marine Environment.
The final objective of this participatory workshop has been to agree on the key aspects of the Master Plan, which will allow for the construction of a coherent, effectively managed network based on the principles of good governance, equity and transparency. To this end, the participatory workshop has facilitated collective dialogue on the contents set out in the document, prioritising the strategic objectives, the proposed programme of actions and proposing improvements in key issues of the governance structure, included in the draft.
The results of the workshop contribute to the consolidation of the document, which will be submitted in the coming months to the relevant public hearing procedure before its final publication.
A NETWORK COORDINATED WITH THE ACTIONS OF LIFE IP INTEMARES
The Network of Marine Protected Areas of Spain may include protected marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network, such as Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) and Special Protection Areas for Birds (SPAs).
The LIFE IP INTEMARES project aims to achieve a network of marine areas of the Natura 2000 Network managed in an effective and integrated way, with the active participation of the sectors involved and research as basic tools for decision-making.
Many of the actions developed within the framework of the LIFE IP INTEMARES project would contribute to the consolidation and achievement of the objectives of the RAMPE and its Master Plan.
The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition coordinates the 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.
