TRITON

In Europe, there are approximately 13.000 Sites of Community Importance, of which 3.600 are marine sites that have developed management plans according to the European law governing the Natura 2000 network. The Natura 2000 network covers over 18% of the EU's land area and just over 9% of its marine territory. To achieve the objective of increasing European marine protected areas by 30%, as outlined in the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030, the policy authorities responsible for these areas play a crucial role, also considering the member states' engagement defined in the Nature Restoration Law of Febraury 2023 by the EU Commission. With this in mind, the TRITON project aims to improve the policy instruments of operational programs and the management plans of marine Sites of Community Importance (SCIs), Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) identified by project partners. The project seeks to identify best practices and share them with key stakeholders, enhancing the skills of managing bodies and stakeholders through the implementation of learning events and peer reviews. While the management plans of SCIs, SACs, and MPAs already comply with Article 6, Point 1 of Directive 92/43/EEC by identifying specific measures for the conservation of priority habitats and species, there is a need to improve these policy instruments to “take into account economic, social, and cultural needs, as well as regional and local specificities.”
The consortium, composed by local, regional and national policy authorities from various European regions, aims to enhance the protection of marine biodiversity by improving policy instruments related to marine sites. Through the sharing of experiences and the participation in collaborative learning activities, project partners and stakeholders, supported by expertise, will identify good practices and draw policy lessons to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of these policy instruments.