POSIDONIA OCEANICA

Help us preserve a highly valuable, irreplaceable and natural resource
LAST NEWS: Regulations from France and Croatia has been Updated!

What is the Mediterranean Posidonia Network (MPN)?

The Mediterranean Posidonia Network was born after the EU Event celebrated in Athens (Greece) last 2019 named Anchors Away. It aims to bring together different stakeholders such as authorities, scientists, international environmental organizations, professionals including yachting agents, marinas from the Mediterranean countries.

These actors are concerned with the protection of Posidonia oceanica threatened by various pressures such as anchoring. The objective is to increase each country’s capacity building to better protect Posidonia oceanica and prevent its future degradation. 

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MPN Objectives

MPN Projects

Anchoring Regulation Evaluation of all countries in the Mediterranean Sea

Photograph by Andromède Océanologie

The study is financed by the French Biodiversity Office (OFB) and is currently under process. It is aiming at:

Results will be soon disseminated.

The MPN Coordination Task Force is componed by the French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), the Balearic Islands Government, the RAC/SPA, WWF, IUCN Med, MedPAN, Whitesand Solutions and Blue Seeds

The MPN gathers about 60 members (stakeholders, authorities, scientists, marine protected areas managers, environmental organizations, professionals, etc.) are from the following countries:

ALBANIA
Croatia
GREECE
MONACO
TUNISIA
EUROPEAN COMMISION
ALGERIA
CYPRUS
ITALY
MONTENEGRO
TURKEY
INTERNATIONAL
BELGIUM
FRANCE
MALTA
SPAIN
UK

MPN Roadmap

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Monitoring Posidonia Meadows & Maritime traffic effectively

An updated mapping of Posidonia meadows is needed for each country. Analyzing recreational boat density can help to identify the areas which are most endangered. The goal is to create common monitoring tools across the entire Mediterranean.

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Reinforce Posidonia Protection

Reinforcing Posidonia protection

The objective is to analyse current laws on anchoring & mooring to assess whether Posidonia oceanica is protected in all areas. Understanding local and national law enforcement is the key for an effective implementation. 

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MPN Projects

Developing anchoring & ecological mooring services

Implementing sustainable anchoring and eco-mooring services is complex and requires technical, environmental and economical studies. The objective is to analyse current services, define best practices and technically and financially support projects in order of boat density priority.

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Raise awareness

To raise awareness among the different stakeholders. Many local initiatives have been developed. The objective is to reinforce communication tools and to make Posidonia habitat as well-known as other priority habitats such as coral reefs.

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