The Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR), the Spanish Biodiversity Foundation (Fundación Biodiversidad), and Triton Research, within the framework of the LIFE MareNatura project “Conservation of priority marine megafauna species in Greece and Italy” and the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project “Knowing and loving the Natura 2000 marine sites to protect them”*, co-organized a training workshop in Heraklion entitled: “Mediterranean Exchange for Marine Protected Areas: Replication and Transfer.”
The event took place on Thursday, 29 January 2026, at the Exhibition Hall of the University of Crete – Natural History Museum of Crete, partner of LIFE MareNatura.
The aim of the workshop was to exchange knowledge and experience among institutions and stakeholders involved in the conservation and management of Natura 2000 marine sites in the Mediterranean, with particular emphasis on local community engagement, governance, and effective site management.
During the workshop, best practices in awareness-raising and outreach activities implemented by the LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 project were presented, and the potential for replicating and transferring some of these actions to the Greek context was explored.
In the discussion that followed, participating representatives from the Decentralized Administration of Crete, NECCA, Greenpeace, WWF Greece, ARCHELON, along with marine tourism professionals and partners of both projects, focused on the possibility of active citizen and local community participation in the management of protected areas, as well as on the social and institutional barriers that need to be overcome in order to achieve this goal.
* The LIFE A-MAR NATURA2000 – “Knowing and loving the Natura 2000 marine sites to protect them” aims to disseminate and promote good conservation practices in marine Natura 2000 areas through more sustainable management of human activities and the involvement of key stakeholders.
Ελληνικά
Italiano
