The project aims to raise awareness on good conservation practices in these areas, fostering a more sustainable management of human activities, by involving the main stakeholders who benefit from their ecosystem services. By developing awareness, a sense of belonging and responsibility towards the values and fragility of NATURA 2000 marine sites, it will take actions on the behaviour of people using them, to reduce impacts on ecosystems.
In detail, LIFE A-MAR NATURA 2000 aims to:
Raise awareness among specific types of sea users about the existence, location and importance of marine N2000 sites;
Promote replicable good practices and eco-sustainable behaviours in the management of marine N2000MS sites;
Promote an active citizenship in knowledge and training for more effective and continuous monitoring of the marine environment;
Provide training supports for managers of marine N2000 sites and users, for more effective communication regarding the presence, environmental values and benefits of marine N2000 sites;
Improve stakeholders' and other users' knowledge about the marine N2000 sites they visit and increase their commitment to nature conservation through Citizen Science initiatives.
The project, who has just taken its first steps, will end in 2025 and will carry out some communication and information actions mainly concerning the marine Natura2000 sites related to the Mediterranean Sea in Italy and Spain, involving about 6 million sea users, including fishermen, divers, boaters, accommodation/tourism/nautical activity managers, tour operators, local authorities, residents, tourists, visitors, etc
The project is co-ordinated by Federparchi - Federazione Italiana Parchi e Riserve Naturali - Europarc Italia (which includes more than 160 authorities managing marine and terrestrial protected areas). Active partners in the project are Triton Research, specialised in projects and communication on the marine environment, Fundaciòn Biodiversidad (part of the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge) which fosters nature conservation projects, and Lipu, which manages nature reserves and conservation projects, as well as carrying out environmental education/awareness raising campaigns, In addition, the Asinara National Park, the Arcipelago Toscano National Park and the Cinque Terre National Park participate as co-founders. Life A-Mar is supported by the European Union's LIFE programme.
