Strong participation from North African civil society organizations: 223 proposals received after the PPI-OSCAN 2 call for projects

The Small-Scale Initiatives Programme for Civil Society Organizations in North Africa (PPI-OSCAN 2 in French) has closed the call for projects, open from 2 July to 30 August 2018. The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) has received a total of 223 projects. Civil Society Organizations (CSO) interested in this call from the 4 North African countries have submitted project proposals related to the 3 eligible programme themes:(i) species and ecosystem conservation, (ii) co-management of terrestrial and marine protected areas, and (iii) ecotourism and sharing the benefits of conservation.

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Governance and management of Posidonia beach-dune systems

MPA-ADAPT Protected Areas in a changing environment

Core support to the activities of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation is provided by the
Junta de Andalucia, the Ministry of Agriculture and Fishery, Food and Environment and AECID in Spain, and the MAVA Foundation.

Emergency situation for pen shells in the Mediterranean: new actions in place

A parasite is causing a mass mortality outbreak threatening one of the most emblematic species found in the Mediterranean Sea, the pen shell (Pinna nobilis). Several actions are now being implemented to prevent the parasite from spreading in the region.

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Launch of the First Large-scale Study on Mediterranean Cetaceans

ACCOBAMS Project kicked off in Málaga with various events and the arrival of the research vessel “Song of the Whale” on the World Oceans Day. Marine mammals in both the Mediterranean and Black Seas face a variety of significant threats. In order to better understand and protect these species, (...)

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Towards the implementation of Nature-based solutions in climate policies in Morocco and Tunisia

Morocco and Tunisia have each created a roadmap and a working group focused on implementing Nature-based Solutions (NbS) contained in the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) across different sectors. Both working groups have already identified project proposals to be submitted to international donors.

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First analysis on the impact of invasive species on the Guadiana river basin through EICAT

Invasive exotic species are one of the main causes of extinction of native species, along with habitat degradation and overexploitation of resources. Although institutions devote considerable resources towards preventing or mitigating their impacts, these are often insufficient given the magnitude of the problem.

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POSBEMED: Management of Posidonia banquettes in the Mediterranean

In the framework of the Interreg Med project Posbemed, that is addressing the challenges and opportunities related to the management of Posidonia beach/dunes systems in the Mediterranean, and in collaboration with the project partners, IUCN-Med has coordinated the elaboration of a guiding document, on how to manage beaches with seagrass banquettes in the Mediterranean.

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Designing new actions to effectively preserve Mediterranean wetlands

Málaga hosted a preparatory meeting ahead of the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13) with representatives from Mediterranean countries. More than 20 representatives from Mediterranean countries and institutions came together in Málaga on the 28-29 June for a meeting to discuss the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands (COP13) and define Medwet’s positioning and active role in the conference.

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A collaborative Approach for understanding multi-taxa ‘bycatch’ of vulnerable species

The incidental capture of vulnerable species in fishing gear (also known generically as ‘bycatch') is a key threat in the Mediterranean for a number of taxonomic groups, including sea turtles, cetaceans, seals, seabirds, and sharks as well as rays.

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Morocco: experts share experiences to increase birdlife protection in North Africa

Experts shared experiences in a training workshop organised in May in collaboration with Moroccan and Spanish electricity distribution companies.

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DestiMED Ecotourism packages : Spring 2018 Assessment Completed

DestiMED´s Protected Area ecotourism packages demonstrate strengths in connecting visitors to nature, gastronomy, and local people.

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Events

UNESCO 8th International conference on Global Geoparks 11 to 14 September 2018, Adamello Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark, Trentino Province (Italy). MEET/DestiMED will be presented at the 8th International Conference on UNESCO Global Geoparks which will take place at the Adamello Brenta UNESCO Global Geopark, Trentino Province, Italy, from 11 to 14 September 2018.

High-level Conference on sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the black sea: 25-26 September 2018 (Malta). The General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and the Black Sea (GFCM) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is organizing a “High-level Conference on Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Mediterranean and Black Sea” (Malta, 25-26 September 2018). This event represents the culmination of work carried out in recent years, seeking to elicit political will and concrete action to support small-scale fisheries in the region.

Seminar: International Encounter of Kenitra on Co-development in Wetlands 26-28 September, Kentira (Morocco). This seminar is a part of a co-realization and will be held in Kenitra, Morocco between September 26-28, 2018. Participants will be several Moroccan ministers from water, environment, agriculture, the high comission for water and forests departments, as well as representatives from the University Ibn Tofail of Kenitra.

Voice For The Ocean Campaign 30 September - 2 October, Malaga (Spain). IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and the Ayuntamiento de Málaga will participate and welcome the Voice for the Ocean tour during its visit in Malaga. The campaign was initiated by Surfrider Foundation Europe and aims to reap the opinions of European citizens about the management and the protection of the oceans with the purpose of collecting voices and deliver concrete proposals to the future European parliament. The program includes: Participatory beach clean-up, high level meetings, roundtable discussions and awareness raising activities in the city center.

Adventure Travel World Summit 15-18 October 208 Tuscany (Italy). MEET/DestiMED will be presented at the Adventure Travel World Summit in Tuscany October 15-18, 2018. Produced by the Adventure Travel Trade Association, the Summit is for tour operators, adventure travel writers and influencers, tourism boards and industry partners and is a global gathering of an industry that offers educational content, keynote speakers and networking opportunities.

COP13 Ramsar - Wetlands for a sustainable urban future. 21-29 October, Dubai (United Arab Emirates). The 13th Meeting of the Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands will be held at the Festival Arena in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, from 21 to 29 October 2018. During these days Contracting Parties will convene to assess progress in the implementation of the Convention and the wise use of wetlands, and plan their own work and that of the Secretariat for the next triennium. The theme for COP13 is “Wetlands for a Sustainable Urban Future”.

World Travel Market 6-8 November, London (UK). DestiMED/MEET is to be presented at the World Travel Market in London 6-8 November, 2018. WTM is the leading global event for the travel industry to meet industry professionals and conduct business deals.

Workshop: Second Mediterranean Plant Conservation Week “Conservation of Mediterranean Plant Diversity: Complementary Approaches and New Perspectives” 12-16 November, (Malta). The event will include a combination of presentations, workshops and discussion panels.

COP14 (CBD) - Convention on Biological Diversity. The Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP 14) - 17 - 29 November 2018, Sharm El-Sheikh (Egypt).

COP24 - United Nations Climate Change (Unfccc) 3-14 December, Katowice (Poland). 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).