On 25 March at 10:00 CET, an online meeting will bring together European institutions and experts to present the project’s results and discuss future strategies for the conservation of Europe’s marine and coastal habitats

On 25 March 2026, from 10:00 to 11:50 (CET), the final event of the LIFE A-MAR NATURA 2000 project will take place online. The event will present the results achieved and open a discussion on the future prospects for the conservation of marine habitats within the Natura 2000 Network in Europe.

The LIFE A-MAR NATURA 2000 project was created to promote knowledge and awareness of the marine and coastal areas of the Natura 2000 Network in Italy and Spain, engaging a wide audience of stakeholders, sea users and citizens through an integrated communication strategy. Throughout the project, different tools were used — from institutional outreach to digital platforms, storytelling and multimedia production — to increase the visibility of marine conservation challenges and foster a broader understanding of the importance of marine Natura 2000 sites.

 

Institutional greetings and project partners

 

The event will open with institutional greetings from Luca Santini, President of Federparchi, the coordinating organisation of the project. This will be followed by contributions from representatives of the partner organisations and institutions involved:

• Maria Villani, Federparchi
• Giorgia Gaibani, Lipu-BirdLife Italy
• Maria Stella Scordo, Triton Research
• Víctor Gutiérrez, Fundación Biodiversidad

These contributions will provide an overview of the role played by the different organisations involved and the contribution each has made to the development of the project’s activities.

The results of the LIFE A-MAR Natura2000 project

The presentation of the project’s results will be delivered by Diego Mattioli of Triton Research, who will illustrate the main actions implemented and the concrete results achieved during the project, highlighting the awareness-raising and outreach activities dedicated to the protection of marine and coastal habitats within the Natura 2000 Network in Italy and Spain.

This will be followed by an intervention from Gianluca Mureddu, President of the Asinara National Park, a co-funding partner of the project. The session will conclude with remarks by Teresa Catelani, representing CINEA – the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency.

During the event, participants will also watch an excerpt from the documentary produced within the project, “Unseen Guardians: routes for the biodiversity”, which tells the story of the activities carried out and the value of protected marine ecosystems through images and testimonies collected in the field.

 A round table on the future of the Marine Natura 2000 Network

A central moment of the meeting will be the round table dedicated to the future of the Marine Natura 2000 Network and the challenges of conservation, moderated by Maria Villani (Federparchi).

Experts and representatives from important European scientific and environmental organisations will take part in the discussion:

• Jacopo G. Cecere, ISPRA – Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research
• Antonio Vulcano, BirdLife Europe and Central Asia
• Matthieu Medori, MedPAN – Mediterranean Network of Marine Protected Areas
• Linda Albonetti, CESTHA – Centro Sperimentale per la Tutela degli Habitat APS
• Afroditi Kardamaki, Hellenic Center for Marine Research

The discussion will provide an opportunity to reflect on long-term governance strategies, cooperation among institutions, stakeholder engagement and knowledge transfer beyond the project’s duration, also addressing the delicate balance between biodiversity conservation and socio-economic activities linked to the sea.

Conclusions

The event will conclude with an intervention by Lorenzo Viviani, President of the Cinque Terre National Park, who will summarise the discussion and highlight the importance of continuing collaboration between institutions, the scientific community and civil society to ensure effective protection of marine ecosystems.

The meeting therefore represents both a moment of reflection and a relaunch, where the results of LIFE A-MAR NATURA 2000 become the starting point for new strategies and collaborations dedicated to protecting Europe’s marine natural heritage.

DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAMME [HERE]