Fishing governance in MPAs: potentialities for Blue Economy 2

FishMPABlue 2 proposal is the follow-up of FishMPABlue 2007-2013 (from now on: FishMPABlue 1): as the first one carried out the analysis of the management of small scale fishery within and around an MPA, identifying the suitable change (enforcing MPA management capacities) to be achieved through a concrete response (innovative governance toolkit), as current proposal wants to test such toolkit to actually demonstrate its effectiveness in achieving expected results (strengthening the management - and networking - capacities of Med MPAs). The proposal fits concretely on Programme result indicator thanks to a scientifically sound study (FishMPABlue 1 results), a clear testing approach (where the monitoring of outcomes coming from toolkit testing is among key activities), a wide (thanks to networks of MedPAN & MedWet) results transfer strategy (exploiting already existing tools and channels); it creates the conditions for a potential mainstreaming into the whole Mediterranean region (thanks to the involvement of the main regional-national policy makers). Partnership is the FishMPABlue 1 one, enriched with other Med-region based actors and with the only existing Med network of small scale fishermen. Associates list has been enriched too with key policy makers at national level. Timeline (and so the project start) has been decided in relation with actual constraints (for the marine environment monitoring) and existing opportunities of synergy with other major dissemination events.Even in PR5 project management continued smoothly: 3 PSC meetings (February, March and May - first via Skype) were held, assuring prompt decisions in due time. Third and last AP Workshop was carried out in Rome 08/05/19), in close cooperation with Panacea Workshop. A project representative attended MED event in Thessaloniki, as well as GFCM Workshop in Podgorica - Montenegro (6-7 March 2019) and GFCM Conference "International day for the fight against IUU fishing" (Marrakech, Morocco, 11–12/06/19), where FishMPABlue2 was awarded for "Best Practices in Scientific Research relating to the fight against IUU fishing".Since the main project results (tested toolkit and assessment of its impacts) were finally available, external communications dramatically increased: 20 video "pills" (short videos where a fisher from pilot MPA "teaches" sustainability to other fishers) were issued, as well as the "project" video, with main achieved results. Campaigns on socials and news and articles in the media increased acc.; a brochure for policy makers summarising the toolkit and a leaflet on main project results were issued. Preparation of final event at GFCM premises (Rome, 01-02/10/2019) and of Photo exhibition (Museo di Roma in Trastevere, 02/10/2019) started in due time.Since the "ex post" monitoring campaign (assessment of impacts of tested SSF mgt measures) included also an innovative technique about fish's DNA, and processing of collected data needs a long time, Del
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3.2 will be updated and issued in PR
6. During PR5 the updated SSF Governance Toolkit was edited in a easy-to-read online publication, downloadable from project website.One National Technical Workshop (Del
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1.3), involving the main stakeholder at national level concerning marine environment conservation and fisheries management, was organized in each of the 6 project's countries, providing useful hints for drafting the policy principles and related national adapted recommendations (Del
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1.1 &
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1.2). Drafting of recommendations for international policy makers (Del
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2.1) started but will be finalised with the inputs from the final event. Eight additional MPAs and the Montenegro agency devoted to MPAs creation formally expressed their will to apply SSF Governance Toolkit: so project partnership drafted a "Support Strategy" for it, foreseeing (and financing) a summer school on monitoring techniques (in September); know-how exchange visits (in autumn); a webinar on project results (in October)Number of joint governance plans, Surface of habitats supported to attain a better conservation status, Number of protected areas engaged (through charters, protocols, MoU) in implementing management strategies, Expenditures declared to the EC for Axis 3,