The Mission-funded BLUE CONNECT project – with the participation of Center for Coastal and Marine Studies (CCMS) - brings together MPA managers, authorities, industries, and local communities to develop sustainable and systemic solutions for Europe’s marine environments. Anchored in the Mission Ocean and Waters, as both a Mission Charter and BPC, this newly launched project focuses on the strict protection, restoration, and co-management of MPAs to improve ecological connectivity.
BLUE CONNECT will make a splash with its Blueprint for Marine Conservation deliverable – a science-based, step-by-step guide for marine conservation planning, designed to support MPA managers, regional seas cooperation stakeholders, local communities, policymakers, business decision makers and marine planners’ efforts and actions. In this holistic modelling framework, the BLUE CONNECT team will integrate biodiversity, ecological functions, ecosystem services, and stakeholder input. Designed to be scalable, resilient, and adaptable across Europe, the Blueprint will evolve over time, considering the impacts of climate change on marine ecosystems. This Blueprint will be based on learnings from demonstrator sites in Europe, conducted under the project:
“Our project will improve the understanding of co-management and co-ownership challenges, gaps, and opportunities at local, national, and European levels and offer solutions based on demonstrated good practices. To achieve this, we are running 12 demonstrators across four sea basins, exploring passive restoration, innovative monitoring, stakeholder engagement, ecological connectivity, and active restoration. For example, at the Macaronesia demo site, we have already established a local stakeholder working group (LSWG) with 15 organisations where we uncovered that most MPAs have outdated Management Plans and limited examples of effective co-management.” Dr. Margarita Stancheva, Director of Center for Coastal and Marine Studies and partner of the BLUE CONNECT project
This article is part of Mission Charter spotlight series. Stay tuned for more inspiring actions working to restore our ocean and waters!
Read the full info at the Mission Ocean and Waters service portal!