During 2021 and 2022 SUBMON led a technical assistance commissioned by the European Commission (DG Environment) to develop and test a practical tool to assess management effectiveness of marine Natura 2000 sites and other EU Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the context of the obligations under the Birds and Habitats Directives and commitments under the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030. This work was carried out in partnership with three European partners: Atecma, Ecologic Institute, and Seawatch Foundation.
Developing a tool to assess management effectiveness of marine Natura 2000 sites
Developing a tool to assess management effectiveness of marine Natura 2000 sites
The project
To track the achievement of commitments under the Biodiversity Strategy and obligations for Natura 2000 sites, the European Commission commissioned in 2021 a technical assistance to develop and test a methodology to evaluate the management effectiveness of marine Natura 2000 sites and other EU MPAs.
Over 18 months SUBMON, in collaboration with Atecma, the Ecologic Institute and the SeaWatch Foundation, designed a methodology that assessed all the aspects of the MPA management cycle to allow MPA managers and authorities to undertake a self-evaluation.
Background of the project
Marine Protected Areas
To safeguard biodiversity and to address increasingly complex threats to marine ecosystems, EU Member States have designated Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), where human activities are regulated more stringently than elsewhere in the marine environment. The Natura 2000 network, under the EU Birds and Habitats Directives, is currently the main driver of MPA designation in the EU. But, even though the area of the marine network has doubled in the last five years, it is not yet complete, in particular offshore. Strictly protected areas, known to deliver the biggest benefits to biodiversity and society, currently cover less than 1% of our seas. Furthermore, although MPAs are widely recognized as a primary tool for conserving and restoring biodiversity and contributing to climate change mitigation and adaptation, these assumptions are only true when they are effectively managed. Unfortunately, in Europe, many of them are still “paper parks”, lacking the necessary conservation objectives and measures, as well as management, surveillance and enforcement resources.
EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030
The EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 sets ambitious targets and commitments to achieve resilient and healthy ecosystems. For the marine realm, it states clear objectives for protected areas, including the legal protection of 30% of the EU’s maritime area by 2030, the strict protection of at least a third of the EU’s protected areas, and the effective management of marine protected areas.
Methodology
1. Bibliographic review
The first step in this process was a thorough bibliographic review of existing frameworks and methodologies for assessing the management effectiveness of protected areas, both on land and marine, both in Europe and elsewhere. This review identified the key elements and optimal approaches to consider in the development of a suitable methodology for this purpose in Europe.
2. Methodology development
The second task of the project was the development of the assessment methodology. This methodology had to allow periodical assessment, and identify areas of strength and weakness. It was agreed that the methodology should be designed in the form of a questionnaire, thus allowing for self-assessment.
The questionnaire was organized under six themes or sections: conservation objectives, pressures, conservation measures, management, monitoring and conservation outcomes. Each question of each theme was related to a scoring system, so that at the end of the process a progress score was given for each area of work. This questionnaire was designed not only to evaluate the current effectiveness of a given MPA, but also to help identify areas of strength and weakness that could be used to inform future management actions, embracing an adaptive management approach.
3. Testing phase
As a last step the questionnaire was tested in Europe, with 74 responses received from marine Natura 2000 sites and other MPAs covering all the European regional seas, and 19 out of 22 coastal European countries. After completing the questionnaire, respondents were asked to answer a feedback survey about the questionnaire itself, so that the methodology could be further improved and adapted. The questionnaire was also sent to specific experts from different countries across Europe.
Two participative workshops were organized during the process to discuss the methodology with national authorities, MPA managers, experts and representatives from relevant organizations, including the European Environment Agency (EEA), regional sea conventions, and international organizations such as MedPAN or Oceana. The methodology has received significant support from Member State authorities and experts consulted during its development. It was adjusted based on all the feedback received, and was delivered to the European Commission. Further adjustments are still needed now, especially as regards its implementation in a suitable format, and a platform to make it more user-friendly.
Results
The project was presented during the Side Event “Marine and coastal-estuarine ecosystems in Europe under high pressure: Sharing insights & best practices on source-to-sea, multi-use and area-based protection efforts” at the UN Ocean Conference in Lisbon on June 30, 2022. During the event, SUBMON showcased the project and the results from the testing phase of the tool, alongside Concha Olmeda from ATECMA.
The project was also presented during the “2nd EU Blue Parks Community Workshop” in Brussels by Vedran Nikolić (DG-Environment) as part of his presentation “Biodiversity strategy targets for a coherent and effectively managed EU MPA network,” where he highlighted our project, its results, and the current stage of the tool’s development.
Vedran Nikolic, in his presentation, presented the EU biodiversity policy context related to MPAs and briefly explained the results of the testing phase of the tool to assess management effectiveness and its potential future application. In particular, there is an ongoing discussion with EU Member States about the future implementation of this methodology in all Natura 2000 sites and other protected areas and the application in synergy with other PAME (Protected Area Management Effectiveness) assessment systems.
All results generated within the framework of the project for evaluating the management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), carried out for the European Commission, are available on its website.