On 5–6 November, the WEGOCOOP project held its final conference, organised by the project partner MedWet in Marseille. The conference also served as the 1st Mediterranean Forum on Wetland Contracts (#WetlandContracts), addressing issues related to their governance, the Community of Practice and associated challenges.
Participation was high, bringing together project partners, experts, and stakeholders from across the Mediterranean. Both days were open for online participation for those interested in attending presentations and taking part in discussions and workshops. ANATOLIKI, the project lead partner, was represented by Ms. Vasso Papadopoulou, General Director and Ms. Naya Tselepi, Project Manager. The ANATOLIKI team also included Ms. Lydia Alvanou, PhD in Biology from the Natural Environment & Climate Change Agency Greece (N.E.C.C.A.), Management Unit of Protected Areas of Central Macedonia, Axios-Loudias-Aliakmonas National Park and Ms. Maria Anagnostou, Financial Advisor of the Municipality of Delta.
During the two-day event, participants reviewed the main results of the project – from the launch of the Community of Practice on Wetland Contracts and the preparation of the final Policy Report, to the full operational launch of the WEGOCOOP Collaborative Platform.
The first day of the meeting, 5 November, began with an introductory session of greetings by Mr. Cris Rostron, Head of MedWet, and Mr. Humberto Delgado Rosa, Director for Biodiversity, EU DG Environment. This was followed by an overview of the WEGOCOOP project by Ms. Vasso Papadopoulou, a presentation on the status of Mediterranean wetlands by Mr. Cris Rostron, a presentation on the state of play and perspectives of Wetland Contracts in the Mediterranean by Mr. Giancarlo Gusmaroli, MedWet researcher, and finally a presentation of the project’s collaborative platform by Ms. Romina D’Ascanio, UNIROMA3.
The next session marked the Launch of the Mediterranean Community of Practice on Wetland Contracts, during which support was expressed by organisations and networks including the International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO), the Italian River Contracts Board, the Network of MPAs Managers in the Mediterranean (MedPAN), the Union for the Mediterranean, the Plan Bleu | Natural Heritage Mission, a representative of Interreg EuroMed – Joint Secretariat, and the United Nations Environment Programme – Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP).
The third session of the day focused on the progress of project partners regarding Transferability Activities and Good Practices Implementation (Romina D’Ascanio, UNIROMA3), the Symposia organised by the project partners in Greece, Italy, and Spain (Naya Tselepi, ANATOLIKI), the roadshows carried out by project partners in Croatia, Albania, and Portugal (Inma Guerrero, FAMP), and the corresponding activities conducted in the Middle East and North Africa MENA Region (Giancarlo Gusmaroli, MedWet).
The second day, 6 November, began with a session on the Challenges in Mediterranean Wetlands Management, in which ANATOLIKI’s collaborator Ms. Lydia Alvanou (N.E.C.C.A.) presented the situation in the Axios Delta area, which serves as ANATOLIKI’s case study within the project. The session also included the Guadalquivir River case in Andalusia, Spain, and the Oristano Gulf case in Sardinia, Italy.
The next session showcased important initiatives promoting Wetland Contracts in the Mediterranean, including INTERREG Italy-Croatia ‘CREW’, INTERREG Italy-France Marittimo ‘RICREA’, and INTERREG EUROMED ‘COASTING & COASTING’. The conference concluded with a summary of all session outcomes.
Following the conference, the fourth and final in-person Steering Committee meeting of WEGOCOOP took place, summarising the project completion activities carried out during the last six months.
Although the project is concluding, its mission continues through the active network of partners and practitioners committed to advancing collaborative governance and sustainability across the Mediterranean.
Partnership:
- Organization for Local Development, ANATOLIKI S.A. (Greece)
- The Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (France)
- Roma Tre University – Department of Architecture (Italy)
- Andalusian Federation of Towns and Provinces (Spain)
- Public Institution Nature Park Vransko jezero (Croatia)
- Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (Albania)
- RCDI – Development and Innovation Network (Portugal)
The Region of Central Macedonia participates in the project as Associated Partner and will support ANATOLIKI S.A. in the exchange of practices at the regional level and will be involved in the Community of Practice activities.
Project Budget: 999.784 €
ANATOLIKI S.A. Budget: 156.260 €
Website: https://wegocoop.interreg-euro-med.eu/
