During the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the GreenList4MMPAs (GL4MMPAs) project was presented as a case-study on how transboundary collaboration and partnership can improve the applicability of the Green List in different contexts and strengthen effective MPA management. The event, which took place on the 11th of October, was titled “Advancing Connectivity and Transboundary Partnerships: Towards Green List Networks”.
To be effective, protected and conserved areas must move beyond site-based conservation towards well-connected systems of protected and conserved areas that safeguard biodiversity and ecosystem resilience at the landscape and seascape level. Acknowledging this, the event explored how protected area transboundary collaborations can help achieve conservation success through the lens of the IUCN Green List.
The presentation of the GL4MMPAs project during the session helped draw significant attention from the international conservation community towards the project’s activities, sparking thoughtful discussions that will help inform its next steps.
GL4MMPAs is promoting collaboration and knowledge exchange on effective management of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean. Among other activities, the project is establishing a new Expert Assessment Group for the Green List (EAGL) focused on marine areas in the region. Through this, the project is bringing together expertise across disciplines to inform the application of the Green List Standard to Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Alongside this expert group, the project is also engaging several stakeholders at the national level from more than 10 Mediterranean countries, including MPA managers and authorities, building a community of actors for effective and equitable conservation in the Mediterranean.
The event at the World Conservation Congress also highlighted complementary case-studies. In South America, a number of stakeholder platforms and initiatives are improving knowledge exchange, technical cooperation, and collective learning to improve protected area practice, policy and financing. Meanwhile, in North America, the California MPA network became the first ecological network to be awarded Green List status earlier this year. A panel discussion then delved into a lively exchange on the opportunities and challenges for fostering connectivity, transboundary partnerships, and Green List application. Panellists highlighted the need for effective experience and capacity sharing on MPA management. The Green List can act as a catalyst for this by facilitating knowledge exchange and partnerships through its implementation, expert groups and community.
The outputs of this discussion will be channelled towards strengthening the guidelines being developed under the GL4MMPAs project to support the application of the IUCN Green List in Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas.
