LIFE MareNatura – Conservation of priority species of marine megafauna in Greece and Italy
Partners: Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR) (EL) | Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency (NECCA) (EL) | University of Crete – Natural History Museum of Crete (EL) | University of the Aegean (EL) | National Observatory of Athens (EL) | Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) (IT) | Hellenic Ornithological Society / BirdLife Greece (EL) | Hellenic Society for the Study and Protection of the Monk seal (MOm)
(EL) | ARCHELON-The Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece (EL) | Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) (EL) | NCC – Nature Conservation Consultants (EL) | WaterProof B.V. (NL)
Coordinating Beneficiary: HCMR
External policy expert: The Green Tank
Objective: The aim of LIFE MareNatura is the effective protection of nine vulnerable species of the Greek marine fauna (the Mediterranean Monk Seal, the Loggerhead Turtle, the Green Turtle, the Sperm Whale, the Harbour Porpoise, the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, the Common Dolphin, the Yelkouan Shearwater and the Audouin’s Gull) and their habitats by detecting biodiversity hotspots in the Ionian Sea, the South Adriatic Sea and the Aegean Sea. The primary goal of the project is the effective protection of these species and marine biodiversity overall, through proposals for the designation of new Marine Protected Areas, which will extend the Natura 2000 network in Greece.
At the 9th Our Ocean Conference, the project partners announced their commitment to work towards the 30×30 target by designating at least 30 new marine biodiversity hotspots and proposing at least 20 new sites to be included in the Natura 2000 network by the end of the project in 2029. At the same conference, Greece committed to declare two new marine parks in the Ionian Sea and the Aegean Sea, building on the project’s proposals.
Our contribution: The Green Tank contributes to the project as an external policy expert, informing policy makers about the scientific data which concern the important marine biodiversity hotspots, while submitting well documented proposals for the designation of new Marine Protected Areas.
Duration: 2023 – 2029 (72 months)
Funding: MEDASSET και NCC