Last week in Málaga, over 150 experts, policymakers and stakeholders from the Mediterranean region joined the Interreg Euro-MED 2nd Institutional Dialogue Event of the Natural Heritage Mission which Wetland4Change is proudly part of alongside 12 other thematic projects (see all the projects).
The opening session featured welcoming remarks from representatives of the Málaga City Council, the European Commission, and other leading organizations on the urgency of implementing the EU’s Nature Restoration Law (NRL) that seeks to restore 90% of degraded ecosystems by 2050.
Followed by a series of panels, explored the policy frameworks driving marine and coastal restoration where experts highlighted the importance of integrating restoration initiatives with existing frameworks and increase collaboration across nations and sectors with calls for transboundary initiatives to enhance ecological connectivity and knowledge sharing within the Mediterranean region.
The second day of the Interreg Euro-MED Natural Heritage event delved deeply into systemic challenges and solutions for environmental governance, emphasizing the intersection of science, policy and society.
Key discussions highlighted the complexity of achieving sustainability goals, the limitations of existing policy frameworks, and the importance of rethinking societal practices to align with ecological imperatives.
Later on, attendees participated in the working groups to share their opinions on the policy paper regarding the implementation of Target 2 of the Global Biodiversity Framework and the Nature Restoration Law in the Mediterranean region.
Wetland4Change team – Satnimira Ivanonva at the 2nd Institutional Dialogue Natural Heritage in Malaga 28_29Nov2024
‘Restoration actions must be resilient to changing climatic conditions, which means adaptive planning, resilient infrastructure and strategic resource allocation. The integration of restoration targets into urban and regional climate adaptation plans can create synergistic effects, boosting biodiversity, reducing disaster risk, and enhancing ecosystem services for human well-being.’ says Stanimira Ivanova, University of Forestry, Sofia – Lead partner of Wetland4Change project, ‘…we believe that cooperation is a crucial point in the development of resilient policies that protects our environment’.
