SAMESEA Project: SustainAble ManagEment of marine Sentinel spEcies under cumulative human activities

Project title SustainAble ManagEment of marine Sentinel spEcies under cumulative human activities

Project acronym SAMESEA

Programme priority Supporting a greener and climate resilient Adriatic - Ionian region

Specific objective SO 2.3: Supporting environment preservation and protection in the Adriatic - Ionian region

Project duration in months 30

SAMESEA aims to enhance both the transnational harmonization of the application of maritime monitoring and coordination practices among the different regions bordering the region, but also to improve the limited dialogue that takes place between economic activities and marine biodiversity conservation. As a matter of fact, the latter suffers from water pollution, marine traffic and direct and indirect habitat deterioration. These challenges affect both national and regional authorities that have different approaches toward the implementation of the regulations and agreements but also economic stakeholders and the general public because if there is no sustainable management of interactions, marine biodiversity will decline and can no longer be used for activities such as tourism and fishing. SAMESEA is based on the belief that if the basin is not managed sustainably, human activities will not be able to continue over the years, and marine species will decrease more and more. Cooperation is central both at the macro-regional territorial level but also among the different interests involved to create a functional and sustainable co-existence and thus management. This is why working together with national and regional authorities, research centers, NGOs and sectoral agencies is essential to launch a new level of confrontation, capitalization and collaboration. The consortium will create a strategy for monitoring sentinel species, pilot actions to test them, solutions for the dissemination of co-existence practices, and an action plan to improve the sustainable management of the basin. The consortium will be able to apply monitoring methodologies, learn about good co-existence practices, and network with each other. SAMESEA will improve the sustainable management of interactions between sentinel species and human activities by capitalizing, sharing, and networking stakeholders who care about the well-being of the macro region's ecosystem.

Partners

• Lead Partner: National Inter-University Consortium for Marine Sciences Italia (IT)
• PP 2 Blue World Institute of Marine Research and Conservation Hrvatska (HR)
• PP 3Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of University of Zagreb Hrvatska (HR)
• PP 4 Aleksander Moisiu University, Durres Shqipëria (AL)
• PP 5 Centre for economic, technological and environmental development Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA)
• PP6 Morigenos - Slovenian Marine Mammal Society Slovenija (SI)
• PP7 Montenegro Dolphin Research Crna Gora (ME)
• PP 8 Ministry of Tourism and Environment Shqipëria (AL)
• PP 9 Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation Elláda (EL)
• PP 10 Municipality of Neum Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA)
• PP 11 Veneto Regional Park of Po Delta Italia (IT)

Total project budget €. 1,737,286.50

Budget Veneto Regional Park of Po Delta Italia €. 118,250.00