LIFE MareNatura – The largest marine biodiversity project implemented in Greece

To mitigate the threats affecting nine of the most threatened EU species of marine mammals, marine turtles and seabirds in the Ionian, South Adriatic, and Aegean seas – the Mediterranean Monk Seal, the Loggerhead Turtle, the Green Turtle, the Sperm Whale, the Harbour Porpoise, the Cuvier’s Beaked Whale, the Common Dolphin, the Yelkouan Shearwater and the Audouin’s Gull – the project LIFE MareNatura “Conservation of priority species of marine megafauna in Greece and Italy”, launched its activities in July 2023 and is expected to conclude in June 2029. The ultimate goal of the project is the effective protection of these species and their marine habitats through the identification and designation of new marine protected areas (MPAs), thereby expanding the Greek Natura 2000 network. In this way, the project will significantly contribute to Greece’s implementation of the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, which mandates placing at least 30% of Europe’s sea and land under protection by 2030 (“30 by 30” target), with one-third of these areas strictly protected.