Join the community
As part of the EU Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030," the EU Blue Parks Community is a platform for EU Member State authorities, practitioners, researchers and other stakeholders to collaborate on marine protection to protect 30% and strictly protect 10% of EU sea areas by 2030.
You wish to contribute to achieving the Mission Ocean and Waters objective to “protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity”? Join the EU Blue Parks Community today and help shape the future of EU marine protection.
Up to 2026, members of the Community are invited to participate and contribute to dedicated workshops, organised annually online and in person. Members of the Community also have access to technical assistance on specific topics on marine protection via the Community helpdesk. They can also share news of their own activities regarding marine protected areas in the Mission Ocean & Waters newsletter and gain visibility as Member on the EU Blue Parks Community webpage.
By joining the EU Blue Parks Community, you will have the opportunity to:
- Exchange knowledge and good practices, enhance governance and stakeholder involvement, explore funding opportunities, and improve ongoing management of marine protected areas.
- Contribute your expertise and learn from others across EU sea basins to enhance marine conservation efforts and address common challenges effectively.
- Strengthen synergies by joining the EU Blue Parks Community, bridging gaps, and leveraging the collective knowledge and resources available in established initiatives.
Please note that the Community membership is intended for organisations focusing on activities within EU sea basins and actively working on or contributing to the protection of EU marine protected areas. Organisations involved in marine protection outside the EU are encouraged to subscribe to the Mission Ocean and Waters newsletter for relevant updates and information.
(Updated on: 30/01/2025)
The community is constantly growing; 107 members have joined the EU Blue Parks Community as of today.
The community members are distributed across various sea basins with notable concentrations in certain areas. The distribution indicates a diverse community with a strong presence in the Mediterranean and Atlantic regions.
The community is comprised of a diverse range of organisations, and currently highlights a strong emphasis on academic and research institutions, complemented by a considerable involvement of NGOs and private sector entities.
The expertise within the community spans a wide range of domains, with a notable concentration in specific areas, with strong representation in marine conservation and biology, and substantial involvement in various other marine and maritime fields.
- Aegean Research Center
- ALOT S.r.l.
- ARPROE
- Associação Natureza Portugal (WWF Portugal)
- Association Romanian River Transport Cluster
- Atlantic International Research Centre (AIR Centre)
- Blue Pangolin Consulting
- BlueSeeds
- CDTI (Spanish Ministry of Science and Education)
- Centro de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental - Ciimar
- Ciimar - Centro Interdisciplinar de Investigação Marinha e Ambiental
- Citiprofile
- Common Wadden Sea Secretariat
- CMCC Foundation
- CNR-IRBIM
- CNRS, Aix-Marseille University
- Consorzio Isole dei Ciclopi - Ente Gestore Area Marina Protetta Isole Ciclopi
- Croatian Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development
- CTN Marine Technology Centre
- Department of Marine Sciences, University of the Aegean
- Department of Fisheries and Marine Research Cyprus
- DHI A/S
- Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food quality
- Ecocean
- Efund
- EPOMEA - Special missions of Thessaloniki municipality of wildlife rescue and environment
- ELWAVE
- European Environment Agency
- ERATOSTHENES Centre of Excellence
- Ericeira Surf Clube
- EU B4LIFE FACILITY
- European Commission
- EUROSEA GmbH
- Fjordskole - Fjordschool Norway
- GESPLAN
- HARTIS Integrated Nautical Services
- ILVO
- INOV - Instituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e Computadores Inovação
- Institu de Ciències del Mar - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Cientificas
- Institute of Natural Sciences
- Institute of Plastics and Circular Economy IKK (Leibniz University Hannover)
- Institute of Aquaculture and Environmental Safety, Hungarian University of Agriculture and Life Sciences
- IS2E \ Azores University
- ISPRA
- LAMAR S.A
- Latvian Institute of Aquatic Ecology
- LAQV/ REQUIMTE, University of Porto
- LifeWatch ERIC
- LIFE OASIS
- MARE- Marine and Envirionmental Sciences Centre - Polytechnic Institute of Leiria
- Marine & Environmental Research (MER) Lab
- Marine Conservation Institute
- Marine Research Centre - University of Vigo
- Martina Gaglioti
- MedPAN
- MRAG Europe
- Mundus maris asbl
- National Park Authority Lower Saxon Wadden Sea
- NatureMetrics
- Naula
- Norwegian Institute for Water Research
- N(N)LE International Business and Economic Development Center
- Oceana
- OceanFront AS
- Oceanic Platform of the Canary Islands
- Oceanus Research Group
- Outdoor Portofino
- Planet to the 3rd Power, Institute for Interdisciplinary Sustainable Development
- PIÑEIRON SL
- Polytechnic University of Marche - DISVA
- Positive Ripple Consulting
- Portuguese Institute for Nature Conservation and Forests
- Project management Jülich
- Public Institution Brijuni National Park
- RECYCLLUX SRL
- Regional Science &Technology Fund, Azores Regional Government
- Region of Murcia
- SAIL LA VIE
- SALT Research AS
- SCOALA GIMNAZIALA ,,TUDOR ARGHEZI,, NAVODARI
- South Denmark EU Office
- SUBMARINER Network for Blue Growth
- SUBMON
- Thales
- Stardust Impact
- Turkish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
- Underwater Gardens International S.L.
- University Asen Zlatarov - Burgas
- University College Cork: MaREI Centre
- University of Southern Denmark
- University of the Azores
- University of Portsmouth
- University Wuppertal
- Van Hall Larenstein University of Applied Sciences
- WWF Adria
Community workshops
Newsletter
News
Outcomes of the 4th EU Blue Parks Community Workshop on strict protection in European seas
The workshop presentations can be accessed here . On 6 March, in Brussels, the EU Blue Parks Community convened for its fourth workshop focusing on a critical topic: 'Strict protection in European...
BlueSeeds: reimagining funding for marine protection
This EU Blue Parks Community member organisation offers alternative financing solutions for marine conservation actors, from Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to small-scale fishers. Marine ecosystems are...
Marine Protected Area management: experiences towards strictly protected areas
A new report on the implementation of strict protection zones at sea details developments in the area. In March 2022, Life Marha, a project funded by the EU's LIFE Programme to restore and maintain...
Increased protection granted to five Natura 2000 sites in the Baltic Sea
The EU adopted a set of conservation measures to strengthen the environmental protection of five Natura 2000 sites in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of the Baltic Sea.
Events
All events of the EU Blue Parks Community are listed here. In the articles below, you will find the programme and other workshop documents for download.
One Ocean – Science Congress
Funding opportunities
Blue Parks solutions and projects
The EU Blue Parks Helpdesk
The EU Blue Parks Helpdesk is a service for the members of the EU Blue Parks Community of Practice. It is accessible for question submission from EU BPC members. Via the EU BPC helpdesk, a scientific/thematic expert team will provide answers to the questions submitted.
The questions submitted will be answered in a short manner by project experts, to the extent possible directing the author of the question to relevant key publications from international literature and to ongoing EU projects and networks working on the concrete topic.
Frequently asked questions
The EU Blue Parks is an initiative under the Mission Ocean and Waters dedicated to science-based solutions for setting and managing marine protected areas in the EU Blue Parks encompass various marine protected areas, Natura 2000 marine and coastal sites, and other designated marine conservation zones. Their significance lies in their role in preserving and restoring marine ecosystems, ensuring the health of our oceans and waters.
The effective management of EU Blue Parks is a key contribution to meet the marine protection targets under the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 (30% under protection and 10% under strict protection).
Membership for the EU Blue Parks Community is open to a range of entities including national agencies involved in marine and environmental matters, regional authorities for marine protected areas and Natura 2000 sites, but also to marine conservation researchers, academia, sea basin organisations, NGOs, international bodies, donors, and sustainable investors.
You can apply here to become a member. It is a simple process of filling out an online form. This will then be evaluated by the Mission Ocean Secretariat, and you will receive an answer in due course. There is no membership fee.
The EU Blue Parks Community thrives on collaboration and collective insight. The expertise and feedback of our members are invaluable, and bi-annual workshops, and communication platforms ensure that all voices contribute to the ongoing dialogue and direction of the community's initiatives.
By joining the EU Blue Parks Community, you can benefit from several opportunities for networking, knowledge sharing, and partnership in European marine conservation.
The community brings together European networks, authorities, researchers, NGOs, international organisations, and initiatives to share science-based management tools and solutions for establishing and managing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
Members actively push forward progress in marine protection across EU sea basins by contributing expertise and learning from each other. Members participate in dedicated workshops and can actively contribute to discussions and results, gain access to technical assistance via the EU Blue Parks helpdesk , and stay informed through newsletters and the community webpage.
By joining, you will contribute with your expertise, connect to other expertise and learn from them across EU sea basins, thus enhancing marine conservation and restoration efforts and challenges. You will also strengthen synergies to shape the future of EU marine protection, bridging research and policy gaps and leveraging the collective knowledge and resources available in established initiatives. =
Members of the Community can access information about the Mission and its activities through the Mission Portal, the Mission Ocean and Waters Newsletter (sign up here) and the EU Blue Parks helpdesk.
Blue parks workshops are organised on different subjects twice per year. The members of this community are invited to take part in workshops. The workshop format will alternate between online and face-to-face sessions Workshops are announced on the Mission Ocean & Waters portal.
No, the workshops are open to all who are interested in the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters and EU marine ecosystems and biodiversity protection and restoration. However, we encourage you to become a member to have access to all the benefits, stay informed of upcoming events and opportunities and to actively engage.
Feel free to share news on your work on marine protected areas (publications, projects, future events, etc.) by contacting the Mission Ocean Implementation Support Platform at MIP-editorialboard@technopolis-group.com
We also encourage you to upload your programmes supporting marine protection and restoration in the Mission Charter.
These may then be featured under News or Events on the Mission service portal or in the quarterly Mission Oceans and Waters Newsletter (sign up here).
Any submitted questions to our helpdesk will be answered by a team of experts from the Mission Ocean Implementation Support Platform directing to the extent possible to relevant key publications from international literature and to ongoing EU projects and networks working on the topic at stake. These areas of assistance broadly comprise:
- Improvement of the management of existing and effective management planning for the new marine protected areas
- Creation and design of representativeness and connectedness between marine protected areas
- Territorial knowledge and monitoring support for marine protected areas
- Setting of effective social engagement processes between communities of user, planners, and other sectoral actors in marine protected areas while building participatory support for new ones
- Information on financing opportunities to support biodiversity conservation in marine areas
