ISEA Scheme to standardise MPA management

To reach the conservation targets established at international, Mediterranean and national levels, Mediterranean MPAs must apply governance models that ensure the effectiveness of their actions and measures. Currently there are no unambiguous methodologies in planning the management of MPAs.

Standard approaches to management must be developed to embrace the geographical and legal heterogeneity of the system of Mediterranean MPAs, which are characterised by different management models and hard to compare. Standardised approaches will also facilitate the development of an effectively managed and ecologically representative MPA network across the Mediterranean area.

Aim of the tool

The aim of the Interventi Standardizzati di gestione Efficace in Aree protette (ISEA) Scheme is to increase the effectiveness and standardisation of management in Mediterranean MPAs, to support the achievement of the established conservation targets.

Main objectives

The specific objective of the ISEA scheme is to define and develop a standardised model for the management of MPAs through a shared approach, in order to enforce their effectiveness.

Technological infrastructure

Some software can be used to draw the Conceptual Model of the ISEA scheme, such as Microsoft Visio, Open Office Draw, Miradi, or any other open-source technology stack for building diagram applications such as www.draw.io.

Training

Training sessions have been developed in the context of the “SPAMI Twinning Programme” to assist SPAMI/MPA managers in the preparation and implementation of the ISEA scheme. Recorded sessions are freely available on the website of the SPAMI Collaborative Platform (https://spami.medchm.net/en/management-tools).

Investment

The ISEA scheme should include an indication of the amount of financial resources and manpower required for implementing the planned strategies.

Concept

The ISEA scheme is a standard approach based on a graphic Conceptual Model that permits a visual understanding of the governance of a protected area, along with an easy identification of the ecological values, the direct and indirect threats operating on them and the strategies and actions developed by the management body to pursue its objectives and goals. It represents the relationships between the main factors believed to have an impact on one or more key targets for conservation.

The drafting of the Conceptual Model is a participatory process and should involve stakeholders to select in a transparent way, the most appropriate strategies and actions. The identification of pressures and drivers should also benefit from sharing knowledge and experiences of all staff involved in the management of the MPA.

The Conceptual Model is articulated in three sections:

1. Description of the MPA
2. Situation analysis
3. Management plan

Training sessions have been developed to assist SPAMI/MPA managers to create and implement the Conceptual Model.

Pilot areas

The ISEA scheme has been developed in the context of the “SPAMI Twinning Programme” in the following SPAMIs/MPAs: Karaburun-Sazan national marine park (Albania); Habibas islands marine reserve (Algeria); Isole Egadi MPA (Italy); Tavolara-Punta Coda Cavallo MPA (Italy); Torre Guaceto MPA (Italy); and Kneiss islands natural reserve (Tunisia).

Recommended timeline of implementation

The approach to develop the ISEA scheme is based on a process that involves a series of steps with a purely systematic approach to management actions. These actions are applied according to a circular process that goes from the determination of conservation targets, to the analysis of threats, to the determination of actions, to the monitoring plan of the same, to the analysis of the effectiveness of actions, to communication and of adaptive management, up to the re-evaluation of the state of the threats and to restart the cycle according to a quantifiable and tangible process.

A possible challenge lies in the concept of standardisation as a limitation to the actions of MPA managers. In this regard, it should be considered that standardisation consists of sharing a common language between MPA managers (directors) and MPA network managers (public administration, international organisations), to plan, evaluate and compare the results of a set of actions. Every single manager has, in fact, the freedom to manoeuvre with a view of adaptive management, adjusted to the local context.

Quantitative results

The application of the ISEA scheme’s methodological approach not only allows a more efficient and effective action in the conservation of marine habitats and species, but also reinforces a network structure between Mediterranean MPAs.

Key deliverables

Standardised management plans.

Transfer potential

The ISEA methodology and management solutions constitute best practices which will be transferred and disseminated to other MPAs and stakeholders, leading to effectively managed and ecologically representative areas (aiming at achieving the Post-2020 GBF targets) to be developed into transboundary management plans.

• The SPA/BD Protocol to the Barcelona Convention implies a clear definition of the conservation and management objectives of SPAMIs, which constitute the basis for assessing the adequacy of the measures adopted and the effectiveness of their implementation in the periodic reviews.

• The ISEA initiative was managed by a technical coordination panel made up of representatives of the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition, WWF Italy and the managing bodies of the MPAs that have obtained the recognition of SPAMI. The technical panel operated according to the following sequential actions: i) Training on the standard management plan, ii) MPA information gathering (completion of the checklist), iii) outlining the conceptual model and iv) completion of the standard management plan (text document).

Training Panel #1: Central Planning of ISEA

Training Panel #2: the Management Cycle

Training Panel #3: the Conceptual Model

Training Panel #4: the ISEA Manual

Training Panel #5: Case Study: Torre del Cerrano MPA

Training Panel #6: Management Effectiveness