Progress on the IMAP-MPA project despite restrictions related to the COVID-19 pandemic
The project titled “Towards achieving the Good Environmental Status of the Mediterranean Sea and coast through an ecologically representative and efficiently managed and monitored network of Marine Protected Areas” (IMAP-MPA project) held its second Steering Committee meeting online on 24 March 2021.
Endowed with a budget of 4 million euros for a duration of 42 months, the project is executed by the Mediterranean Action Plan of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) and funded by the European Union. The objective is two-fold: to strengthen national capabilities in the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme and related assessment criteria for the Mediterranean Sea and Coast (IMAP) and to enhance the management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean.
The Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (SPA/RAC), which ensures the project’s implementation under the overall supervision of the Athens-based UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit, hosted the Steering Committee meeting that saw the participation of representatives of Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Tunisia, the European Commission and EU Delegations in beneficiary countries, as well as the UfM Secretariat and several observers.