Celebrating SPAMI Day 2024,
Preserving Our Common Heritage.

SPAMI Day, a regional celebration of marine conservation and protected areas in the Mediterranean, was set up by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention at their COP 22 (Antalya, Türkiye, 7-10 December 2021) and is officially celebrated every year on 15 April. It is an event for every person and organization that has at heart the protection of marine life in the Mediterranean.

The aim of SPAMI Day is to promote the List of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs), i.e. exceptional marine areas managed in an exemplary manner, and more generally to raise awareness of marine conservation.

The theme of SPAMI Day 2024 is effective management of SPAMIs. By choosing this theme, the aim was to value and encourage all the initiatives within SPAMIs that contribute to the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and to living in harmony with nature.

For this year’s edition of SPAMI Day, SPA/RAC is launching a digital campaign to promote the SPAMI List and marine conservation efforts. Our aim is to conclude this campaign with a face-to-face celebration on 15 May 2024 in Tunis, Tunisia.

SPA/RAC is the UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas and Marine Biodiversity, established in 1985 under the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean. The mission of SPA/RAC is to support the efforts of Mediterranean countries to conserve and sustainably manage threatened or endangered species and areas of particular natural or cultural value. The SPA/RAC has been entrusted with the management of the SPAMI List, which was established in 2001 by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention as a framework for exchange, cooperation and technical assistance, and currently benefits 39 Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs).