The Governance Toolkit for managing Small-Scale Fisheries (SSF) in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPA) is a practical collection of 13 sustainable fishery management-related solutions. The Toolkit is ready to be used in any Mediterranean MPA, and will be crucial for setting up policy recommendations for the management of small-scale fisheries in the whole Mediterranean region.
The Toolkit explains in detail the lessons learned from testing best management practices in 11 pilot MPAs using a participatory process. It provides guidance on how to better involve fishers in the process of helping MPAs shift towards small-scale fishery co-management.
The 11 pilot MPAs exemplify a wide range of management conditions prevailing in the Mediterranean. In this sense, the testing process addressed the challenges jointly identified by MPA managers and fishers in the relationship between SSF and MPAs. The examples presented illustrate how even in cases where a formal co-management system is not in place, cooperation with local small-scale fishers can often bring unexpected benefits for the MPA managing body.
This toolkit has been developed within the partnership of the Interreg Med project FISHMPABLUE 2, led by Federparchi, where the specific role of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Centre has been to collect regional and international information as to identify different governance models for the participation of artisanal fishermen in the sustainable management of halieutic resources inside and around marine protected areas. This three-year project is about to end in November 2019.
OTHER IMPORTANT RESULTS
The project has built on good working relationships between MPA managers and fishers in MPAs, and developed new ways of improving governance. 11 local governance clusters have been created with the involvement of more than 200 fishers; and 9 additional MPAs supported to adopt the toolkit.
The project also has developed a monitoring methodology for assessing MPA effectiveness for small-scale fisheries management, including environmental, social and economic dimensions.
The final event of the FishMPABlue2 project took place last 1-2 October in Rome at the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean headquarters, and some policy recommendations were presented by IUCN-Med.
The ultimate goal of the FishMPABlue 2 project is to conserve biodiversity and natural ecosystems while increasing sustainability, including socio-economic development, of small-scale fisheries through better managed and connected MPAs and more involved fishermen.
To understand the project, you can also visit the twenty short 1 to 2 minutes inspiring interviews produced where fishers talk to fishers. Also an artistic photographic exhibition "Cittadini del mare" showcases daily life of artisanal fishers working in four different Marine Protected Areas: Telascica nature park in Croatia, Cap Roux fisheries reserve in France, Zakynthos National Marine Park in Greece and Egadi Islands MPA in Italy.
For further info: Marie-Aude Sevin | 
