MPA Europe partners from CLIMAZUL joined two recent events focused on marine protection, helping share the project’s policy recommendations with stakeholders working across marine spatial planning, MPA management, and ocean governance.
MPA Europe has released a new policy brief on how representative Marine Protected Area networks can support Marine Spatial Planning in Europe, with a focus on biodiversity protection and seabed organic carbon.
Early this month, MPA Europe partners gathered in Oostende, Belgium for the project’s final consortium meeting, followed by a policy-focused meeting in Brussels with European Commission staff and invited stakeholders.
Speaking on RTÉ Radio 1’s CountryWide show, MPA Europe coordinator Mark Costello explained how well-managed marine protected areas (MPAs) can help restore fish stocks and sustain coastal livelihoods. The interview highlighted how MPAs, when effectively designed, can support both biodiversity and local economies.
Three recent contributions from MPA Europe partners strengthen the scientific case for ecologically representative MPA networks. Together, they highlight the importance of large-scale biodiversity representation and future climate considerations in MPA design.
The new Online Atlas for MSP brings together biodiversity data, climate scenarios, and spatial prioritisation layers to support MPA network design across European seas and places species distribution models (SDMs) at its core to guide science-based planning.
The International Conference on “Marine Protected Areas in Marine Spatial Planning” (MPAinMSP), hosted by MPA Europe in Bodø, Norway, from 9 to 12 July 2025 brought together experts from science, policy, and practice to explore the integration of marine protected areas in marine spatial planning across European seas.
MPA Europe’s report on the Mediterranean Sea stakeholders workshop recently co-hosted by the project, is now available on the Resources page
MPA Europe is inviting marine taxonomists and ecologists to contribute to an important collaborative effort—validating Species Distribution Models (SDMs). Experts who participate will gain recognition as Expert Reviewers and potential co-authorship in a technical paper. Join the effort by signing up before April 21, 2025!
On February 19 and 20, MPA Europe project team held its annual meeting in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Grant Agreement 101059988 – MPA Europe
MPA Europe project has been approved under HORIZON-CL6-2021-BIODIV-01-12 — Improved science based maritime spatial planning and identification of marine protected areas.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or UK Research and Innovation. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.