As part of the Dialogue 4 Nature project (Interreg EURO Med), MedCities has co-organised in member city, Málaga, the Annual Dialogue centered on ‘Marine and Coastal Restoration Policy in the Mediterranean’ with IUCN Med, Plan Bleu, Marine Institute form Croatia, Region of Crete, Region of Sardegna and Montenegro’s Ministry of the environment. The meeting aimed to foster collaboration between scientists, public administrations, and civil society to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the EU Nature Restoration Act (NRA) in the Mediterranean region. The meeting aims to foster collaboration between scientists, public administrations, and civil society to implement the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and the EU Nature Restoration Act (NRA) in the Mediterranean region.

More than 130 representatives of scientific institutions, national, subnational and local governments, and civil society organisations from 17 Mediterranean countries met in Malaga on 28 and 29 November to discuss policy challenges and promote solutions for key thematic issues relevant to the Mediterranean natural heritage.

The event generated a set of practical recommendations to implement the NRA at all levels, to meet Target 2 (Restore 30% of all Degraded Ecosystems) of the Global Biodiversity Framework. The policy document that will incorporate all comments during the Annual dialogue’s working session seeks to be a useful advocacy tool for EuroMed projects in the coming years. It will align restoration efforts and act to respond to the triple planetary crisis in its three components: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution in the Mediterranean region.

The first day of the event focused on marine and coastal restoration, highlighting the importance of restoring at least 20% of EU terrestrial and marine areas by 2030, as stipulated in the LRN. In this line, we could listen to urban action from our city members Genoa and Málaga and the Euroregion Pirineus Mediterrània, a MedCities-associated partner in the D4N project.

The second day was planned as a capacity building session designed to improve the quality of science in governance and to help projects and organisations deal with the complexities of decision-making in nature conservation. The organisers have prioritised the inclusion of institutions from southern Mediterranean countries, highlighting their essential role in addressing shared biodiversity challenges and promoting a more inclusive restoration approach.

This institutional dialogue event is organised under the Natural Heritage Mission, funded by the Interreg Euro-MED Programme, with the participation of 16 partner organisations. It is part of a broader series of Institutional Dialogues to enhance collaboration in harmonising innovative governance policies and practices. The Mission aims to create a Community of Practice on Natural Heritage, providing a platform to share knowledge and explore new opportunities for collaboration in the field of nature conservation and the achievement of global biodiversity targets in the Mediterranean region.

More pictures here