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. 

It aims to bring together European networks, national and regional authorities and agencies, projects and initiatives in the EU to identify challenges, share tools, solutions and good practices, promote innovative approaches and push forward progress in marine protection in the EU sea-basins. 

A variety of themes can be addressed by the Community from identification and establishment of marine protected areas, increasing their interconnectivity, improving their effective management, governance and financing. The Community is invited to gather annually for physical and virtual workshops, the results of which will be the subject of regular reports and newsletters. The Mission Ocean Implementation Support Platform provides a helpdesk and facilitates dialogue and communication by also sharing a newsletter between Community members.

Join the EU Blue Parks Community today and help shape the future of EU marine protection.

The EU Blue Parks Community targets any actors working on the protection of marine biodiversity and ecological processes, including marine protected areas designated by EU Member States, Natura 2000 marine and coastal sites and areas designated for marine protection by a Regional Sea Convention or multilateral agreements. 

EU Blue Parks Community membership is open to national and regional agencies for marine and environmental matters, including Natura 2000 marine and coastal sites, researchers in the field of marine conservation, sea basin organisations, NGOs, international organisations, donors and sustainable investors.

Members of the EU Blue Parks Community will be invited to participate in dedicated workshops and can actively contribute to workshop discussions and results. Members of the Community will also have access to technical assistance on specific topics on marine protection via the Community helpdesk, share news of their own activities regarding marine protected areas in the Mission Ocean & Water newsletter, and gain visibility as Member on the EU Blue Parks Community webpage.

Apply here to become a member

You wish to contribute to achieving the Mission Ocean and Waters objective to “protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity”? 

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.

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.

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. 

About the helpdesk 

Via the EU BPC helpdesk, a scientific/thematic expert team will provide answers to the questions submitted.  

The helpdesk initially will focus on providing scientific advice on the following topics:  

• 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 protected areas  

The questions submitted will be answered in a short manner by project experts, to the extent possible directing author of the question to relevant key publications from international literature and to ongoing EU projects and networks working on the concrete topic. 

Please submit your question: 

eu_bpc_helpdesk@technopolis-group.com 

Please include the following information when submitting a question to the helpdesk:

• Contact details (name, email) 
• Organization  
• Topic of assistance (see list above or “other”)

To save time, and provide quick guidance on the most popular topics, the helpdesk will also provide a list with frequently asked questions. The FAQ list will be updated on quarterly basis. 

FAQ

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