Regional Government organised scientific workshop to support development of RAMPA Monitoring and Evaluation Programme - Communication

Secretaria Regional do Mar e das Pescas

The Regional Secretariat for the Sea and Fisheries, through the Regional Directorate for Maritime Policies, organised a scientific workshop this week, with the support of the Blue Azores programme, aimed at supporting the development of the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme for the Azores Marine Protected Areas Network (RAMPA).

The effective implementation of RAMPA requires a solid monitoring system to assess the state of marine ecosystems, the pressures to which they are subject and the associated socio-economic conditions, with a view to guiding the adaptive management of the network.

This initiative, held at the Maritime School in Horta, reflects the Regional Government’s strategic priority of protecting and valuing oceans, based on a scientific approach geared towards informed, transparent and results-focused management.

More than 40 scientists and experts from the fields of environmental and social sciences took part in the scientific workshop, contributing with recommendations for the development of the ecological and socio-economic components of the Monitoring and Evaluation Programme.

For two days, contributions were collected for the large-scale and long-term monitoring of RAMPA, as well as for the definition of its baseline situation, from which, and through continuous measurements of indicators, it will be possible to make comparisons within and outside Marine Protected Areas over time.

These contributions will help the Regional Government’s decision-making in identifying and selecting priority ecological and socio-economic indicators, the methods and procedures to be used in the Programme, and the development of the integrated monitoring system for RAMPA.

The Programme will continuously monitor the effects of conservation and management measures on biodiversity and the health of marine ecosystems, including the recovery of commercial fish stocks, as well as socio-economic impacts. It will contribute to demonstrating the effects of RAMPA in terms of biodiversity conservation, the sustainable development of uses and activities, the local economy and the well-being of communities in the Region.

The Government of the Azores reiterates its commitment to the conservation of marine biodiversity and ecosystems and to the sustainable development of the Region, whilst fostering the coordination between scientific knowledge and policy-making.