The MedWet Coordinator attended the first meeting of the Advisory Board of the project Fishing Governance in MPAs: Potentialities for Blue Economy (FishMPABlue) held in Malaga, Spain, on 6-7 October. The project, financed by the European Cooperation Programme “MED” 2007-2013 of the European Union is being implemented by a partnership integrated by Federparchi-Europarc Italy, the Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation of IUCN (IUCN Med), the University of Nice-ECOMERS and WWF MedPO. Project countries are EU members Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Spain.

The goals of the project are:

1. to analyse the different approaches developed to date on the co-existence of artisanal fisheries in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs);
2. to design a new approach for supporting co-development of MPAs and artisanal fisheries;
3. to propose integrated actions to mitigate environmental risks; and
4. to develop “win-win” governance models related to the Blue Economy.

The intention, after this short-term project (one year) is to develop a more substantial project, always for implementation in EU countries. But MedWet and other members of the Advisory Board will be interested in developing a similar project in non-EU countries funded by other budget lines of the European Commission.

The other members in the Advisory Board of the project are the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Managers’ Network (MedPAN), the FAO General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM-FAO), the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA)of the Barcelona Convention, and the Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) in Italy.

• More information:

For more details contact the project leaders:

Luca Santarrosa at Federparchi

Tel. +393397154290

Skype: luca.santarossa65

Alain Jeudy de Grissac at IUCN Med