Recently, a three-day working meeting was held at the Whale Museum on cooperation between the managers of Marine Protected Areas in the Atlantic Ocean. The collaboration is called the Transatlantic MPA Network and is a pilot project organized by the European Union. The meeting was attended by people from countries and regions on both sides of the North and South Atlantic, and participants included Bermuda, Cape Verde, the Azores, Brazil, the United States, several European countries and Iceland.
Photo: Transatlantic MPA Network
The aim of the project is to promote wider cooperation across the Atlantic and it is based on a new universal concept; Atlanticism, which includes cooperation between Africa, South America, North America and Europe. Emphasis is placed on environmental issues and environmental protection, but in addition, the project covers scientific cooperation between managers of Marine Protected Areas, which can inform and support EU policy-making and also contribute to international relations.
Photo: Hafthór Hreiðarsson
With this pilot project, the European Union focuses on promoting a broad approach and cooperation across the Atlantic Ocean with the aim of increasing the exchange and sharing of best possible practices and to improve the efficient management of marine protected areas in the coastal areas and shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The project also supports the EU's commitments to tackle the loss of biodiversity, help with climate change adaptation and respond to the EU's internal policies on the environment, regional cooperation and issues related to marine ecosystems.
Photo: Hafthór Hreiðarsson
Representatives of the Whale Museum and the Research Center of the University of Iceland in Húsavík also attended the meeting.
