BLUE4ALL - Blueprint Demonstration for Co-Created Effective, Efficient and Resilient Networks of Marine Protected Areas

One of the main challenges in marine conservation, is the social acceptability of MPA delineation, design, management and enforcement. Part of this challenge owes to the top-down approach regarding MPAs. True interaction with stakeholders most often comes late in the MPA process, i.e., after the delineation of MPAs and the definition of the conservation objectives. Therefore, stakeholders often take a defensive position towards MPAs. BLUE4ALL will explore the feasibility of aligning a bottom-up approach towards MPAs with stakeholders at the “steering wheel”, with a top-down approach focusing on regulatory expectations to achieve effective, efficient and resilient MPAs and networks of MPAs.

  • EU HORIZON - MISSION "BlueParks"
  • 2023 - 2026
  • Project coordinator
  • Steven Degraer

Partners:

Fondazione Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC; IT), Submariner Network for Blue Growth Eeig (SUB; DE), Syddansk Universitet (DK), Suomen Ymparistokeskus (FI), Universiteit Antwerpen (BE), University College Dublin/National University of Ireland (IE), Università Degli Studi di Palermo (IT), Tartu Ülikool (University of Tartu; EE), Vlaams Instituut voor de Zee (VLIZ; BE), WWF Adria – Croatia (HR), The Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission (HELCOM; FI), Keskkonnaamet (EE), International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES; DK), Wageningen University (NL), Mediterranean Sea and Cost Foundation (Medsea; IT), Office Français de la Biodiversite (OFB; FR), Consorzio di Gestione di Torre Guaceto (IT), Comune di Otranto (IT), International Union For Conservation Of Nature And Natural Resources (IUCN; CH), WWF Mediterranean (IT), Stiftelsen Världsnaturfonden/WWF SWEDEN (SE)