Title: Regional cooperation for the sustainable development of transboundary ecosystems-RECONNECT
Reference: 5017160
Duration: 15.09.2017-14.06.2020
Programs: Transnational Cooperation Program Interreg Balkan - Mediterranean 2014 -2020
The Regional Cooperation for Sustainable Transboundary Ecosystem Development (RECONNECT) project aims to develop strategies for the sustainable management of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Natura 2000 sites. The study areas are characterized by similar habitats in different locations, which are threatened by common pressures. The creation of an international cooperative network to face, under a common approach, the environmental threats of ecosystems of high natural and cultural interest, is the general goal of this project.
Establishing common practices and a common regional strategy are the main challenges of RECONNECT.
General objective of the project is to promote the efficient management of natural systems, which will increase the competence of local management authorities through the development of a Multidisciplinary Decision Support System (DSS). The new global approach that will be developed will change the current defense strategies in the Balkan-Mediterranean area, promoting more efficient and accurate management practices.
Main results of the RECONNECT project will provide information about habitat attributes, as well as essential biodiversity, socio-economic and cultural variables, which will be available as tools through a web-based platform.
These results will be useful for:
- local, regional and national authorities, promoting the sustainability of marine ecosystems;
- management agencies enhancing their management capabilities;
- non-governmental organizations (NGOs) improving their activities through suggested strategies; AND
- citizens, as their involvement during the project will increase their environmental awareness.
The international approach to be used during the project will combine ecological and genetic methodologies for biodiversity assessment, as well as socio-economic aspects, under the umbrella of a common DSS, promoting common policies and practices. The protection and preservation of areas of high ecological and economic value aims to harmonize the socio-economic and legal framework between the participating countries, which cannot be achieved individually at the national level.
Main partner: Hellenic Center for Marine Research (HCMR), Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology & Aquaculture
Partners:
- Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity and Ecosystem Research
- Department of Fisheries and Marine Research
- International Center for Research on the Environment and the Economy – ICRE8
- Management Agency of Dodecanese Protected Areas
- University of Cyprus, Department of Biological Sciences
- University of Tirana
Project website: https://reconnect.hcmr.gr/