The project aims to put in place a connected, ecologically representative, effectively managed and monitored network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean which ensures the long term conservation of key elements of the marine biodiversity and gives significant support to the sustainable development of this region. The project builds on an innovation approach seeking to:

1) strengthening MPA Regional Coordination and Networking to ensure long-term networking and capacity building of MPAs in the Mediterranean and set up an ad hoc Group of Experts focused on Mediterranean MPA issues, under the Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity (SPA/BD) Protocol;

2) establishing new MPAs through their identification and characterization in order to extend the existing regional network and enhance its ecological representativeness;

3) improving MPA Management namely through the development, implementation and monitoring of management, zoning and fisheries management plans, communication tools and socio-economic benefits assessments etc.;

4) identify and test innovative approaches to ensure the financial sustainability of MPAs; and

5) promote governance and management of MPAs through stakeholders engagement and co-management or participatory management approaches.