Fishermen and divers worked together in this pilot case of an Interreg project that contributed to improve adaption to change in coastal zones across the Mediterranean.

Direct evidence of climate change is already being observed in the Mediterranean coast and in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). However, climate change is not explicitly incorporated in most management plans and information to assist MPAs decision making is limited and fragmented. The island of Lampedusa hosted one of the training courses on monitoring protocols to empower MPA managers and local administration staff with knowledge on how to integrate climate change in MPA management plans.

This training workshop was held from17-21 July and was organised by the Italian National Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), the Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) and the Pelagie Islands Marine Protected Area.

Technicians from 5 marine protected areas from 3 countries (Croatia, France and Italy), including Pelagie Islands MPA, were trained on several type of monitoring protocols, from temperature to mass mortality and visual census on indicator species. Fishermen and divers in the island of Lampedusa were also invited to participate in the discussions on how to improve observations related to climate change such as the occurrence of new species or mass mortality.

This capacity building event was one of the actions included in the MPA-ADAPT project whicn aims at developing collaborative and site-specific adaptation plans for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to enhance their resilience to climate change impacts. It also aims to incorporate vulnerability assessments and nature-based adaptation planning in the current management frameworks.

For more information: Maria del Mar Otero

Photo: © Corti - CC By - SA 3.0| Lampedusa Coast line