Germ of Life project has participated in the 2nd Interreg Euro-MED Dialogue: Natural Heritage Mission. At the IUCN headquarters in Malaga (Spain), key actors met to shape the future of sustainable development in the Mediterranean. Panagioti Saranti, Project Manager, and Juan Charneco, Communication Manager, represented Germ of Life and explained its objectives, characteristics and how its results in improving drought risk prevention can be used in any country in the future.
This annual two-day event has provided a platform to address policy challenges and explore innovative solutions to safeguard the Mediterranean’s natural heritage. Participants engaged in discussions on obstacles, opportunities and strategies to promote effective natural conservation across the region.
The gathering brought together 150 experts, policymakers, and stakeholders from across the Mediterranean to discuss transformative strategies for ecological restoration. The event presented an agenda packed with high-level panels, roundtable discussions, and insightful presentations.
Javier Gutiérrez del Álamo, Director General of Environment and Sustainability at Málaga City Council, and Maher Mahjoub, Director of IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation opened the day by underscoring the urgency of implementing the EU’s Nature Restoration Law (NRL). This pivotal policy, which many countries have been working on for over a decade, seeks to restore 90% of degraded ecosystems by 2050 and enhance ecological connectivity as part of the broader EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030.
Followed by various engaging roundtables, the first delved into restoration insights in the Mediterranean region with speakers from numerous Mediterranean countries underscoring the importance of fostering local awareness and engaging civil society in conservation efforts.
The second day included a capacity building session, which provided projects and organizations with tools to navigate the complexities of science-based policymaking and decision-making processes for nature conservation.
The session ‘Building the Natural Heritage Community of Practice, Networking and Synergies’, addressed topics such as ‘Clustering Activity: Introduction geographic and thematic clustering’ and ‘Thematic Projects Marketplace: Identifiying challenges, collaboration and synergy opportunities’.
The event wrapped up with a collective recognition of the Mediterranean’s critical role in global biodiversity and the shared responsibility to safeguard its ecosystems.
