Adapting IUCN Green List Standard to the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

Programme 2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B EURO Mediterranean (EURO MED)

Date of latest update: 2025-05-27

Description

Description (EN):

The “GreenList4MMPAs” Project aims to adapt, for the first time, the IUCN Green List Standard (GL) to the Mediterranean marine context. The GL is the first global and only universal Standard of best practice for area-based conservation. It aims to provide an international benchmark for quality that motivates improved effectiveness and achievement of conservation objectives. GreenList4MMPAs will develop specific indicators and methods to assess marine protected areas (MPAs), providing an actionable and useful tool for MPA managers and practitioners. The common challenge that GreenList4MMPAs will tackle is the need for Mediterranean MPAs to enhance their capacities in preserving marine biodiversity and ecosystems in order to mitigate the overall degradation of the Mediterranean marine environment (fully in line with the Programme S.O. 2.7). GreenList4MMPAs will support Mediterranean MPAs in achieving their conservation and social objectives through a reliable system for the assessment of the effectiveness, based on a tool that will ensure MPA effective management. The main project’s outputs will be the Mediterranean MPAs-tailored IUCN Green List Set of Indicators and the establishment of the MED MPAs EAGLs (a committee of experts trained by IUCN that examine protected areas’ applications for the Green List Standard). These outputs will largely benefit local public authorities such as MPAs’ management bodies, but also national public authorities (e.g. Ministries and technical agencies) and IUCN, which represents globally the largest international organisation about nature conservation. The “GreenList4MMPAs” Project will adopt an approach based on the use of a large number of case studies in seven EU countries, two IPA countries, and six Third Med countries (thanks to an additional funding by IUCN), in order to represent all the existing seven Ecoregions in the Mediterranean Sea. In this perspective only a true transnational approach can allow project’s goals to be met.

Description (FR):

GreenList4MMPAs vise à adapter, pour la première fois, le Standard de la Liste Verte (GL) de l'UICN au contexte marin méditerranéen. GL est la première norme mondiale et universelle de meilleures pratiques pour la conservation des zones naturelles. Il vise à fournir une référence internationale de qualité qui motive l'amélioration de l'efficacité et la réalisation des objectifs de conservation. Il développe des indicateurs et des méthodes spécifiques pour évaluer les aires marines protégées (AMP), fournissant un outil exploitable et utile pour les gestionnaires et les praticiens. Le défi commun que GreenList4MMPAs va aborder est la nécessité pour les AMP Med de renforcer leurs capacités à préserver la biodiversité et les écosystèmes marins afin d'atténuer la dégradation globale de l'environnement marin méditerranéen (entièrement conforme au S.O. 2.7). Le projet soutiendra les AMP Med dans la réalisation de leurs objectifs de conservation et sociaux grâce à un système fiable d'évaluation de l'efficacité, basé sur un outil qui assurera une gestion efficace. Les principaux résultats du projet seront l'ensemble d'indicateurs de la GL adaptés aux AMP Med et l'établissement de “AMP MED EAGL” (un comité d'experts formés par l'UICN qui examine les candidatures des AMP pour le Standard GL). Ces résultats bénéficieront aux autorités publiques locales telles que les organes de gestion des AMP, mais aussi aux autorités publiques nationales (ministères et agences techniques) et à l'UICN, qui représente la plus grande organisation internationale de conservation de la nature. Le projet « GreenList4MMPAs » adoptera une approche basée sur l'utilisation d'un grand nombre d'études de cas dans 7 pays de l'UE, 2 pays IAP et 6 Pays Tiers (grâce à un financement supplémentaire de l'UICN), afin de représenter tous les 7 éco-régions existantes en mer Méditerranée. Dans cette perspective, seule une véritable approche transnationale peut permettre d'atteindre les objectifs du projet.

Actual Achievements (EN):

GreenList4MMPAs partnership started to meet regularly (mainly online) since the announcement of the Programme approval “under conditions”, to resolve conditions and finalize the contracting procedure. This took quite a long time, also because in February JS communicated the need to have a new PP from an additional eligible country, since the withdrawn of the Albanian PP reduced the total number of participating countries. The new PP (Cote Bleu MPA) was formally taken on board in early March, while the kick-off meeting (with PSC establishment) was held online on January the 26th. Concerning project implementation, first activity, was the drafting of the Project's activities workplan (Del. 1.1.1). The following activity was the “Review of existing national and international standards to assess MPA effectiveness” (Act. 1.2). Thanks to the results of Act. 1.2, Act. 1.3 “Development of a Mediterranean MPAs-tailored IUCN Green List provisional set of Specific Indicators based on reviewed information” has started. To harmonize knowledge of all the PPs about the starting reference of the project, a specific training on IUCN Green List Standard was carried out during the presential 2nd PSC project meeting in Rome (9-10 April 2024). Act. 2.2 “Drafting of Med MPA EAGLs’ Terms of Reference” (ToRs) has been finalized, with the IUCN Headquarter agreement too. Publication of an open Call for experts (based on the approved ToRs) is expected in October. Consequently, Act. 2.3 “Selection of experts and establishment of Med MPA EAGLs committee” needs to be moved to the 2nd semester and will be finalised by November 2024. LP and PP2 attended the event organized by the Dialogue4Nature governance project (June 27th 2024). Internal communication is carried out mainly through e-mails and monthly online meetings. The primary external communications tool implemented is the Project’s website, finalised and published in early June 2024. PP2 has developed a communications strategy for the project which, after inputs and approval from the rest of the partners, identified key communications objectives, target audiences, platforms and tools to guide the project´s external communications.

Project outputs: Number of project partners(EN)
N.A.(FR)
Action Plan for the establishment of an EAGL at national level, and for the testing at national level of the list of Med MPAs GL Specific Indicators(EN)
N.A.(FR)
Website: https://interreg-euro-med.eu/en/

Thematic information

Sustainable management of natural resources Climate change and biodiversity

Priority: (VI-B_EM_2) Greener MED

Priority specific objective: RSO2.7. Enhancing protection and preservation of nature, biodiversity and green infrastructure, including in urban areas, and reducing all forms of pollution

Priority policy objective (Interreg specific objective): PO2 A greener, low-carbon transitioning towards a net zero carbon economy and resilient Europe by promoting clean and fair energy transition, green and blue investment, the circular economy, climate change mitigation and adaptation, risk prevention and management, and sustainable urban mobility

Type of intervention: 079 Nature and biodiversity protection, natural heritage and resources, green and blue infrastructure

Partners (6)

Lead Partner: Stazione Zoologica Anton Dohrn

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 4894530635 | IT120000058 | - (FR), - (EN)

Address: Villa Comunale , 80121 Napoli, Italy

Department address: Italy

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Total budget: EUR 160 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 128 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 32 000.00

Contractors:

Name: INTERFORUM S.R.L.
VAT registration or tax identification number: IT02607420920

Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue

Name: Parc Marin de la Côte Bleue

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 877951075

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 32639507600010 | FR120000018 | - (FR), - (EN)

Address: PLAGE DU ROUET 31, AVENUE JEAN BART, 13620 CARRY-LE-ROUET, France

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Other

Website: https://parcmarincotebleue.fr/

Total budget: EUR 40 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 32 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 8 000.00

Comité français de l’UICN

Name: Comité français de l’UICN

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 41502562600045 | FR220000010 | - (FR), - (EN)

Address: Rue de Paris, 93301 MONTREUIL, France

Department address: France

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Total budget: EUR 50 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 40 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 10 000.00

Πανεπιστημιο Αιγαιου – Ειδικος Λογαριασμος Κονδυλιων Ερευνας

Name: Πανεπιστημιο Αιγαιου – Ειδικος Λογαριασμος Κονδυλιων Ερευνας

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 999840693

Partner’s ID if not PIC: 090264862 | EL120000042 | - (FR), - (EN)

Address: University Hill, 81132 Mytilene, Greece

Department address: Greece

Legal status: public

Organisation type: Higher education and research organisations

Total budget: EUR 80 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 64 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 16 000.00

WWF Adria– Udruga za Zaštitu Prirode i Očuvanje Biološke Raznolikosti

Name: WWF Adria– Udruga za Zaštitu Prirode i Očuvanje Biološke Raznolikosti

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 917832528

Partner’s ID if not PIC: HR92278052107 | HR220000008 | - (FR), - (EN)

Address: Gundulićeva, 10000 Zagreb, Croatia

Department address: Croatia

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Total budget: EUR 100 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 80 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 20 000.00

Contractors:

Name: ACEPSD
VAT registration or tax identification number: L72302453G

UNION INTERNATIONALE POUR LA CONSERVATION DE LA NATURE ET DE SES RESSOURCES

Name: UNION INTERNATIONALE POUR LA CONSERVATION DE LA NATURE ET DE SES RESSOURCES

PIC (Participant Identification Code): 999918972

Partner’s ID if not PIC: W0391213F | ES530000304 | - (FR), - (EN)

Address: Calle Marie Curie, 29590 Campanillas, Spain

Department address: Spain

Legal status: private

Organisation type: Interest groups including NGOs

Total budget: EUR 170 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing: EUR 136 000.00

Partner’s programme co-financing rate: 80.00%

Partner contribution: EUR 34 000.00

Contractors:

Name: GRUPO DE AUDITORES PÚBLICOS
VAT registration or tax identification number: A92015254

Partners map

Lead partner

Project partner

Summary

Project name (EN): Adapting IUCN Green List Standard to the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

Project acronym: GreenList4MMPAs

Project ID: Euro-MED0200594

Project start date: 2024-01-01

Project end date: 2026-03-31

Project status: ongoing

Relevant linked projects:

N.A. (FR), Green list for Natura 2000 (EN) | The LIFE “Green list for Natura 2000” project has developed a feasibility method for assessing the applicability of Green list to the broader Natura 2000 terrestrial network. This project has run in parallel with the IUCN “Programme for Green list development”. (EN), N.A. (FR)

Total budget/expenditure: EUR 600 000.00

Total EU funding (amount): EUR 480 000.00

Total EU funding (co-financing rate): 80.00%

Co-financing sources:

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

(bullets are inserted automatically and may be incorrectly placed)

Deliverables:

Project's activities workplan
N.A.
Review of national and international standards to assess MPA effectiveness
N.A.
N.A.
Mediterranean MPAs-tailored IUCN Green List provisional set of indicators
N.A.
MPAs’ assessment of applicability of the Med MPAs-tailored IUCN Green List set of indicators
N.A.
Report on “National Focus Group meetings”
Finalised list of the Mediterranean MPAs-tailored IUCN Green List set of indicators
N.A.
N.A.
Report on Programme-related capitalization activities
ToRs for the Med MPA EAGLs
N.A.
List of selected EAGL including signed letters of commitment from EAGL members
N.A.
Training Report
N.A.
Action Plan for: establishment of EAGLs, and testing of the List of Med MPAs GL Specific Indicators
N.A.
Project pilot phase concept note
N.A.

Contribution to wider strategies and policies:

EuropeanGreenDeal One of the core part of the European Green Deal is the European Biodiversity Strategy . The European Biodiversity Strategy aims to protect at least 30% of the land and 30% of the sea by 2030, with a coherent network of protected areas, and specifically includes in Target 1 the protection of species and habitats. In line with the very likely possibility for the Green List to become an indicator for the assessment of the international network of PCAs (Protected and Conserved Areas) in the Post 2020 framework of the CBD (target 2), it would also be a very relevant indicator of the coherence and qualitative aspects of the European PCAs network. The Green List is also identified as a tool to assess management effectiveness and governance in the EU Criteria and guidance for protected areas designations. At the Mediterranean scale, it will help achieve those objectives of coherence of the European PCAs network and constitute a common assessment tool.
TerritorialAgenda2030 The Territorial Agenda 2030 seeks to promote a sustainable future for all places and to help achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Europe. In this perspective, the “GreenList4MMPAs” Project will contribute to achieve SDG 14 “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development” by developing a tool that will improve Marine Protected Areas’ effectiveness in conserving and restoring marine ecosystems, and therefore enabling them to deliver the ecosystem good and services much needed to human communities. In particular among its priorities it includes “A Green Europe that protects common livelihoods and shapes societal transition” and more specifically “HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT - Better ecological livelihoods, climate-neutral and resilient towns, cities and regions” that aim to “support the development of nature-based solutions as well as green and blue infrastructure networks that link ecosystems and protected areas in spatial planning, land management and other policies”. In this context MPAs represent key nature-based solutions that will benefit from project activities by being able to use the Green List standard for Mediterranean MPAs, finally enabling MPAs to enhance their effectiveness in delivering significant benefits to Mediterranean marine ecosystems.
EUStrategyAdriaticIonianRegion The project contributes to address the second pillar of EUSAIR “Environmental quality”. Specifically the project will provide relevant information to improve biodiversity conservation and therefore more in general environmental quality in 5 (Croatia, Greece, Italy, Slovenia and Albania) out of the ten countries covered by EUSAIR. This objective is in line with the EUSAIR goals to halt the loss of biodiversity and the degradation of ecosystem services in the EU and to ensure a good environmental and ecological status of the marine and coastal environment.
MediterraneanSeaBasin One of the three main goals of the “Initiative for the sustainable development of the blue economy in the western mediterranean region” (WESTMED) is to preserve ecosystems and biodiversity in the western Mediterranean region, and Westmed specifically refers to the 481 marine protected areas, including Natura 2000 sites located in the Western Med. In addition one of the 6 priorities included in the Westmed ministerial declaration and Roadmap agreed by the signatories is “Biodiversity and marine habitat conservation and restoration”. In this perspective the “GreenList4MMPAs” Project will be able to support the Westmed’ goal by enhancing MPAs capacities to actually foster marine biodiversity protection and restore marine ecosystems.
Other Many international policies reaffirmed the crucial role of MPAs for protection of biological diversity: 2008 EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (followed by 2014 Maritime Spatial Planning Directive) aims to achieve Good Environmental Status of the EU's marine waters. The “GreenList4MMPAs” Project will provide a concrete tool (i.e. the adapted Green List Standard for Mediterranean MPAs that will enable managers and practitioners to assess MPA’s criticalities) contributing to EU policies’ goals. Project will also contribute to the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development 2016-2025 that includes, among the strategic direction n.2.3, IUCN Green List as Flagship Initiative.

Programme Common Output Indicator:

RCO 001 - Enterprises supported (of which: micro, small, medium, large), Measurement unit:
RCO 083 - Strategies and action plans jointly developed, Measurement unit:
RCO 087 - Organisations cooperating across borders, Measurement unit:

Programme Common Result Indicator:

RCR 079 - Joint strategies and action plans taken up by organisations, Measurement unit:

Programme Result Indicator:

RCR90N Long-term cross-border innovation networks, Measurement unit: Number of networks
PSI1 - Organisations with increased institutional capacity due to their participation in cooperation activities across borders, Measurement unit: organisations

Project part of European Union Macro-Regional or Sea Basin Strategy: EUSAIR

EUSAIR Priority (Policy) area / Horizontal action:

EUSAIR Degree of compliance:

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

Financing programme

2021 - 2027 Interreg VI-B EURO Mediterranean (EURO MED)

Last month that data in keep.eu was retrieved from the Programme's website or received from the Programme

2025-05-27

No. of projects in keep.eu / Total no. of projects (% of projects in keep.eu)

64 / 64 (100%)

No. of project partnerships in keep.eu / Total no. of project partnerships (% of project partnerships in keep.eu)

608 / 608 (100%)

Notes on the data

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Adapting IUCN Green List Standard to the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas

Description

Thematic information

Partners (6)

Partners map

Summary

Investments, deliverables, policy contributions

Information regarding the data in keep.eu on the programme financing this project

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