Lead Partner Foreword

Kostas Kostantinou

The Mediterranean Sea is acknowledged as one of the priority eco-regions, that contains major biodiversity hotspots. In addition to its ecological value, the economic value of Mediterranean biodiversity and the services it provides have been recognized. A wide array of pressures (e.g. population growth, urbanization, tourism exploitation, overfishing, pollution, shipping traffic, non-native species) are causing loss and fragmentation of Med marine and coastal habitats. Although action to halt biodiversity loss entails costs, biodiversity loss itself is costly for society, so each year certain EU countries lose 3% of GDP due to the loss of marine biodiversity.

The TUNE UP project, co-financed by the European Regional Development Fund via the Interreg Med Programme aims at tackling the need for a strategic and collaborative approach for an effective management of the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The approach is based on the Environmental Contract experience, a multi-stakeholder/multi-level governance tool, addressing to both private and public bodies, that was previously tested in the framework of European Cooperation Programmes, by the Interreg Med project WETNET (20162019). The project builds on the results of WETNET project, taking advantage of the flexibility and feasibility of the Environmental Contract methodology, adapting it further to MPAs governance and evaluating its effectiveness through testing actions in 10 pilot MPAs by the project partners.

The results of this effort were evaluated and, with the contribution of all partners, led to the elaboration of this document proposing a methodology for the implementation of Environmental Contracts in MPAs having as main benefits, such as the mainstreaming of the Contract tool in the local/regional regulatory framework; the increase of scientific knowledge regarding marine and coastal ecosystems and awareness raising on MPAs value; the intensified collaboration between local organizations and stakeholders.