Engaging Mediterranean key actors in Ecosystem Approach to manage Marine Protected Areas to face Climate change (MPA-Engage)

Description:

Climate change is dramatically affecting the Mediterranean Sea, which is warming at a rate 20% faster than the world’s average. Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), despite the nature-based solution they offer to support efforts towards climate change adaptation and mitigation, are the first ones to feel the climate change effects. Several Mediterranean MPAs are already facing major biodiversity and functional alterations due to climate change, whereas others will likely face them in the next few decades. There is, therefore, an urgency to mitigate these risks and to consider adaptation options in partnership with local communities, decision-makers, civil society organizations, research bodies, and other socio-economic actors at local, national and regional levels. 

MPA-ENGAGE aims primarily to support Mediterranean MPAs to adapt to and mitigate the ongoing climate change effects in the Mediterranean Sea. Through a participatory approach, MPA-Engage monitors in a harmonized way the climate change impacts, elaborates vulnerability assessments and develops climate change adaptation action plans in 7 Marine Protected Areas located in Mediterranean countries, namely Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, and Spain.

Moreover, MPA-ENGAGE supports Mediterranean MPAs to organize local awareness events in schools, aquariums, maritime and science museums, to disseminate knowledge on Climate Change. During the course of the project, webinars have been organised about harmonised monitoring of climate change impacts, vulnerability assessment of MPAs to climate change and local community engagement in citizen science activities.

The project delivered a series of five standard protocols that provide a practical guidance to track climate-related impacts in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and beyond. The guiding principles and architecture of these tools respond to the requirements of the Ecosystem Approach undertaken under the auspices of UNEP/MAP Barcelona Convention, with the ultimate objective of achieving the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Mediterranean Sea and Coasts.

Project information

Lead

Institute of Marine Sciences of the Spanish National Research

Partners

Portofino MPA (Italy)

Calanques National Park (France)

Brijuni National Park (Croatia)

Zakynthos National Marine Park (Greece)

Karaburun-Sazan National Marine Park (Albania) 

Tavolara MPA - Punta Coda Cavallo (Italy)

Cap de Creus Natural Park (Spain)

Espai Litoral del Baix Empordà (Spain)

Zoological Station Anton Dohrn, Napoli (Italy)

Università Politecnica delle Marche (Italy)

University of Vigo - Future Oceans Lab (Spain)

Department of Territory and Sustainability of the Government of Catalonia (Spain)

Regional Government of Liguria (Italy)

Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE)

DAN Diving Alert Network Foundation

Source of funding

Programme 2014 - 2020 INTERREG VB Mediterranean