MPA Engage

Project title:

„MPA ENGAGE’’

„Engaging Mediterranean key actors in Ecosystem Approach to manage Marine Protected Areas to face Climate Change’’

Duration of the project

32 months, 2019-11-01 – 2022-06-30

Financing:

Project co-financed by the European Regional Development Found

Priority Axis 3: Protecting and promoting Mediterranean natural and cultural resources

Programme specific objective:

3.2: To maintain biodiversity and natural ecosystems through strengthening the management and networking of protected areas

Call for projects - 5th call

Total eligible budget:

Co–financing source	Rate	TOTAL ELIGIBLE BUDGET
ERDF	96,54%	2,944,296.32 €
IPA Funding	3,46%	105,486.42 €
TOTAL	100,00%	3,049,782.74 EUR

Brijuni National Park budget:

Financing source	Rate	TOTAL ELIGIBLE BUDGET
ERDF	85,00%	149,315.17 €
Own founds	15,00%	26,349.72 €
TOTAL	100,00%	175,664.89 EUR

Project Partners:

Partners: 14

Associate partners: 31 (3 Capitalisation board: MPA4Change, Science4Change, Med4Change)

Countries: Albania, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta, Spain

Name of the Lead Partner organisation: CSIC - Institute of Marine Sciences (Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas)

Project partners:

Institute of Marine Sciences - CSIC (Spain)
Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn – SZN (Italy)
Consortium of Management of Portofino MPA - PORTOFINO MPA (Italy)
Calanques National Park (France)
Polytechnic University of Marche (Italy)
Public Institution Brijuni National Park (Croatia)
Management Agency of Zakynthos National Marine Park (Greece)
Government of Catalonia -Department of Territory and Sustainability (Spain)
Management consortium of Marine Protected Area of Tavolara Punta Coda Cavallo (Italy)
Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development – MIO ESCADE (Greece)
University of Vigo –Future Oceans Lab (Spain)
Regione Liguria - Department of agriculture, tourism, training and work - Parks and Biodiversity sector (Italy)
Association for Protection of Aquatic Wildlife of Albania - APAWA (Albania)
DAN Europe Foundation (Malta)

Associate partners according to the Capitalisation boards:

MPA4Change - Agence Française pour la Biodiversité – AMP (France), Fundación Biodiversidad España – AMP (Spain), Area Marina Protetta Isola di Ustica (Italy), Area Marina Protetta Torre del Cerrano (Italy), AMP Cote Agathoise/Agde Municipality (France), AMP Cerbère-Banyuls / Conseil Départemental 66 (France), AMP Bonifacio-Office Environemental de Corse - Parc Marin International des Bouches de Bonifacio (France), AMP Arcipelago Toscano - Parco Nazionale Arcipelago Toscan (Italy), AMP Isola dell'Asinara (Italy).

Science4Change - Mediterranean Institute of Oceanography (France), ISPRA-Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (Italy), CONISMA-Consorzio Nazionale Interuniversitario pel le scienze del Mare (Italy), CNR/IRBIM - Istituto per le Risorse Biologiche e le Biotecnologie Marine (Italy), Enalia Physis Environmental Research Centre (Cyprus), Universitat de Girona (Spain), ENSSMAL Algeria Ecole Nationale Supérieure des Science de la Mer et de l'Aménagement du Littoral (Algeria), Université de Rabat-Mohamed (Morocco), INAT (Tunis) Institut National Agronomique de Tunisic (Tunisia), Universitat de Barcelona (Spain)

Med4Change – MEDPAN - Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Managers Network (France), SPA/RAC-Specially Protected Areas -Regional Activity Centre (RAC/SPA-UNEP/MAP) (Tunisia), CPMR-Conference of Peripheral Maritime Regions of Europe/ Intermediterranean Commission (France), WWF Mediterranean Programme (Italy), Sud PACA Regional Government (France), Canarias Regional Government (Spain), Balearic Islands Regional Government (Spain), FAO-Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (Italy), GFCM-General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (FAO/GFCM) (Italy), Arco Latino BLUETOURMED Horizontal Project (Spain), Universidad de Malaga - European Topic Center – PANACEA Horizontal Project (Spain), PADI EMEA Limited (England)

The Mediterranean is being and will be heavily impacted by Climate Change (CC). 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 level.

There is a global (CBD), EU (Directive on Birds/Habitats) and Med (UNEP/MAP, MAPII, MSSD; Barcelona Convention) consensus to strengthen Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as key tools to prevent further biodiversity loss and maintain ecosystem. Although the EU policy, MSP and MSFD, provides the framework to address CC effects, their current implementation is essentially missing. Likewise, most MPAs lack of specific adaptation plans to CC.

The overall objective of MPA-ENGAGE is to promote the role of MPAs as nature-based solutions for the implementation of EcAp to CC adaptation: The QUINTUPLE HELIX (MPAs, socio-eco actors, local/regional authorities, scientists and citizens) from 8 countries will cooperate towards adapting the management of 7 Med MPAs to CC impacts.

The engagement, for the first time, of citizen scientists (recreational divers) and small-scale fishery actors will be essential. The operational know-how will be capitalized and transmitted (by Trainings, Twinning &Data Sharing) to key coastal actors to develop an extremely robust and resilient strategy for success. Lastly, MPA-ENGAGE will promote a Med Policy Dialogue among an assembly of associates (scientists, MPAs, & Networks/regions).

The unambiguous support to MPA-ENGAGE by organisations such as MEDPAN, RAC-SPA,UNEP/MAP, FAO; GFCM, CPMR-ICM, WWF and UfM well demonstrates the compliance with wider EU & Med strategies and policies.

According to Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) 2016-2025 (UNEP/MAP), CC is modifying the coastal environment at accelerating rates with alarming consequences on the related socio-ecological systems. Although the EU policy, MSP and MSFD, provides the framework to address with CC effects, their current implementation is essentially missing. Likewise, recent projects (e.g., PlasticBuster MPAs, EcoSUTAIN, MPA-ADAPT, AMAre) highlighted most MPAs lack of specific adaptation plans to CC.

Project general objective:

The overall objective is to support and promote the role of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) as central tools for the implementation of ecosystem approach (EcAp) for the adaptation and mitigation to climate change (CC). By strengthening the management, networking the MPAs and promoting a Mediterranean Policy Dialogue among the stakeholders, the project will contribute to maintain the marine ecosystems.

This will be achieved by:

1. Assessing CC vulnerability (ecological and socio-economic) of MPAs.

2. Monitoring CC effects on MPAs

3. Engaging citizen scientists, (in particular recreational divers and small-scale/recreational fishery sectors) in monitoring actions.

4. Engaging the participation of the QUINTUPLE helix of stakeholders (MPA managers, Scientists, Public Authorities, Socio-Economic Stakeholders, General Public)

5. Bringing CC within the MPAs management plans

6. Transferring the experience at local/regional, national and transnational levels

7. Enhancing the Networking of the Mediterranean MPAs to exchange experiences and lobbying at management and scientific levels

8. Enhancing the common knowledge by contributing to existing Data sharing platforms

9. Promoting a Mediterranean Policy Dialogue with the main EU and Regional actors and networks.

MPA-ENGAGE promotes the role of MPAs as nature-based solutions for the implementation of EcAp to the adaptation and mitigation to ongoing CC effects.

The project clearly responds to the following territorial challenges for the Mediterranean MPAs:

1. Need of improved monitoring on CC effects with a set of fine-tuned and novel protocols

2. Need of Vulnerability evaluation with biodiversity & Socio-economic Assessments to CC

3. Need to implement Ecosystem Approach (EcAP) by engaging the Quintuple Helix (MPA managers, Scientists, Public Authorities, Socio-Economic actors, General Public) and Citizen Science, (e.g. small-scale/recreational fishery/diving sectors)

4. Need of improved management with Adaptation Plan to CC

5. Need to improve the capacity and common knowledge by setting a programme of training, twinning & data sharing

6. Need to strengthen the interaction by reinforcing the consolidated networks (e.g. MedPan, LIFE, CPMR…)

7. Need to support the Policy dialogue and coordinate with EU, Mediterranean and Global ICZM/MSP Strategies (FAO/GFCM, UNEP/MPA; RAC/SPA, UfM...)

One of the main challenges associated with ICZM and MSP is the multiple institutional actors involved. MPA-ENGAGE aims at bridging this gap by engaging the QUINTUPLE HELIX of stakeholders in a process to develop adaptation plans of the Mediterranean MPAs to the CC that includes:

1. Vulnerability assessments: Standardized assessments will describe the ecological and socio-economic vulnerability to CC impacts.

2. Monitoring the CC effects: tested and novel monitoring protocols on CC indicators will be used to track major CC impacts on MED MPAs biodiversity.

3. Citizen Science: while generating awareness and ocean literacy, citizen science initiatives will provide an innovative contribution to multiply monitoring efforts through the involvement of trained recreational divers and participation of fishermen.

4. Quintuple Helix participatory approach: A series of participatory oriented meetings and workshops with stakeholders will take place in each MPA. These activities will be framed by a defined methodology in order to be able to compare across case studies.

5. Adaptation Plans will be based on the synthesis of current status and future trends of CC effects in MPA in view to define several mitigation and adaptation options that could be realistically adopted at local scale in each MPA.

Project results:

Improved monitoring and management of MPAs to CC to build a Med MPA sentinel network for CC: MPA managers will be trained to assess the vulnerability of protected areas, implement monitoring protocols and to develop adaptation actions to CC.

Adoption of management plans to face CC in MPAs: This process will involve action learning, where concepts are tested out on the ground, refined and improved to develop good practice.