Blue Economy and Marine Conservation: Safeguarding Mediterranean MPAs in order to achieve Good Environmental Status
The development of Blue Economy and Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) represents a transnational challenge for marine protected areas (MPAs). Maritime sectors have started to operate more and more frequently inside and in the vicinity of MPAs with expected growing environmental impacts, while at the same time, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive requires to reach Good Environmental Status of the European Seas by 2020. 
Many EU projects and other initiatives have published results and recommendations concerning MPAs and their interactions with economic sectors but a Mediterranean integrated approach is lacking. By capitalizing on these results, the PHAROS4MPAs project will deliver an integrated framework for recommendations on the necessary practical collaboration between Mediterranean MPAs and the maritime sectors adapted to appropriation by the project’s targets. 
The expected change originating from the project is an enhanced management effectiveness and networking for Mediterranean MPAs, which will ultimately contribute to the conservation of marine biodiversity and natural ecosystems. 
Approach and outputs include delivering common capitalization baselines, recommendations and policy tools adapted to appropriation by the MedPAN network, MSP Authorities, the European Commission, the Barcelona Convention and the various maritime sectors.