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10 civil society organisations from 5 Mediterranean countries are taking part in this webinar, to share their experience and present their initiatives implemented in SPAMIs. The event is an opportunity to discuss environmental awareness and education, as well as plastic pollution, sustainable fishing and ecotourism.  

Date: 8 May 2024, 9am - 12.20pm CET

Venue: Online

Language: English  

Zoom registration link: https://spa-rac-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_GyzvH5wiRDu5ibnwr7znGw

The Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) represent crucial sites for the conservation of biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. These areas harbor specific ecosystems and habitats essential for threatened species in the region. They hold particular significance in the realms of science, aesthetics, culture, and education, designed to serve as examples and models for preserving natural heritage, in accordance with Annex I of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol).   

The List of SPAMIs was established by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention under the SPA/BD Protocol. Its objective is to promote cooperation in the management and conservation of natural areas, as well as to protect threatened species and their habitats. To date, it includes 39 areas managed by eleven Contracting Parties in the Mediterranean.   

SPAMI Day is a regional celebration of marine conservation and protected areas in the Mediterranean established by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention at their COP 22 (Antalya, Turkey, December 2021). It is officially celebrated on April 15th each year. The clear objective of SPAMI Day is to promote the List of SPAMIs, in other words, exceptional marine areas managed exemplarily, and more broadly, to raise awareness about ocean conservation.   

The central theme of SPAMI Day 2024 highlights the necessity of effective SPAMI management. The main objective is to showcase and encourage all initiatives within these SPAMIs that contribute to the preservation and restoration of marine ecosystems, thus fostering harmonious coexistence with nature.   

In this context, civil society plays a crucial role in implementing concrete actions to raise awareness and educate, as well as to monitor the ecological status of these vital spaces, thereby contributing to more effective and sustainable SPAMI management.   

Several initiatives have been implemented by Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), supported under the bilateral agreement between the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security and the United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP), notably through the SPAMI Twinning Program during its phases I (2018-2019) and III (2022-2023). In total, seventeen mini-projects have been carried out by fifteen CSOs from five Mediterranean countries (Albania, Lebanon, Italy, Slovenia, Tunisia).   

This webinar aims to create a space for exchange and sharing of experiences among representatives of CSOs benefiting from small grants for the implementation of projects related to SPAMIs. It provides a platform to present projects, discuss achieved results, and share lessons learned in the areas of awareness-raising, environmental education, ecological monitoring, and sustainable development.