Fostering synergies around water and wetlands in the Mediterranean:
MedWet/MAVA project 1346 has been accepted and its activities should start on the 15th of

February 2014.

The general aim of the project is to increase the effectiveness and impact of MedWet by

improving its activities in the fields of networking, communication, synergy creation and

resource mobilisation for the wise use of Mediterranean wetlands, in the directions set out by

the Agadir Guidelines and oriented along the four main axes  of the MedWet long term vision.

In order to assume its new role tailored by the Agadir Guidelines, the project will in fact assist

MedWet to carve its new niche and restructure its organizational model with the perspective of

long term sustainability.  This will be achieved through the implementation of two objectives,

the first one being to upgrade and reinforce the role of MedWet in promoting facilitation and

regional coordination of wetlands conservation. To this end, the visibility of MedWet will be

raised by enhancing its capacity to create, coordinate and animate wetlands related networks

(the MedWet Civil Society network, the MedWet Partners for Water, PPI-OSCAN and the

MedWet Culture Network) and through raising awareness, lobbying and promoting actions in

favour of Mediterranean wetlands to a variety of audiences.

The second objective is centred on MedWet’s long term sustainability through the creation of a

renewed model of funding and operation. The selected approach uses communication,

capacity building and network animation and facilitation as a way of transferring knowledge

and of creating partnerships and ultimately of improving the framework conditions for the

protection of Mediterranean wetlands.

The project directly addresses all three Goals of Priority axis 3 of the MAVA strategy for the

Mediterranean basin and directly or indirectly addresses all the MAVA transversal themes. The

need for this project proposal has arisen from the difficult financial and political situation in

most Mediterranean countries and will allow MedWet to ensure its operation and capitalise on

the momentum and outputs of the Agadir Symposium on Water and Wetlands in the

Mediterranean (February 2012). MedWet’s long history guarantees the social sustainability of

the project as well as the participation of a wide network of Mediterranean partners that will be

crucial in the implementation of the project’s activities.