PRESS RELEASE – Tunis, 7 April 2026
An alliance at the heart of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science
The Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC) and the international organization Gaia First announce a strategic collaboration aimed at strengthening marine and coastal conservation in the Mediterranean.
This cooperation fully aligns with the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) of the Barcelona Convention and will contribute concretely to achieving Good Environmental Status (GES) of marine and coastal ecosystems.
A partnership supporting Specially Protected Areas and the IMAP Programme
By combining their expertise, Gaia First and SPA/RAC aim to strengthen:
- The collection and analysis of scientific data (environmental DNA, underwater noise, plastic pollution);
- The understanding of anthropogenic pressures;
- The integration of traditional ecological knowledge;
- Citizen science and environmental education;
- Cooperation between institutions, local communities, and field stakeholders.
This collaboration seeks to build concrete bridges between Mediterranean policies under the Barcelona Convention and the international frameworks of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science, while actively contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.
Guardians of Gaia: the global programme – Mare Nostrum: its maritime component
Guardians of Gaia is the international programme led by Gaia First, with the support of UNESCO. It aims to create a network of local and regional initiatives that transform the specificities of each territory into a shared good, linking traditional knowledge, advanced science, and civic engagement—from mountains to the sea.
Mare Nostrum represents its maritime component. It unfolds through two complementary dimensions: a network of coastal hubs established along the Mediterranean basin, and an expedition aboard a large sailing vessel under the patronage of the French National Commission for UNESCO.
The Mediterranean, as the birthplace of this initiative, will serve as a pilot model for the progressive deployment of 150 hubs across 60 countries by 2030.
Guardians of Gaia hubs: living spaces serving communities
These hubs are not merely scientific stations. They are living spaces where protected area managers, local authorities, fishing communities, residents, schools, youth, researchers, and associations come together. They become:
- Learning and awareness-raising spaces for schools and citizens;
- Places for transmitting traditional knowledge and ancestral practices for protecting the sea;
- Active conservation centres where science meets society;
- Connection points within a Mediterranean—and eventually global—network.
They inspire vocations, empower local youth as guardians of their natural heritage, and prepare them to become global ambassadors.
Mare Nostrum: the expedition, maritime component of the programme
A first scientific, educational, and cultural expedition aboard a large sailing vessel will connect Tangier to Monaco, with stopovers in Cartagena, Tunis, Palermo, and Nice.
It will offer forty young international explorers a multi-week immersive experience combining scientific data collection, environmental diplomacy, intercultural learning, and the transmission of traditional knowledge.
Traditional marine expertise: a pillar for the future
In the Mediterranean basin, resource management relies as much on centuries of observation and traditional know-how as on new technologies. The programme integrates this knowledge as fully-fledged scientific and ethical protocols.
By combining scientific monitoring with traditional knowledge and practices, the programme builds an alliance between heritage and innovation. UNESCO acknowledged this approach in a letter to Gaia First dated 10 February 2025, highlighting “a vision that bridges the gap between traditional knowledge and ecological science.”
A structuring collaboration for the Mediterranean
Through this partnership, Gaia First and SPA/RAC are laying the foundations for a model where science, culture, education, and local communities converge to sustainably protect Mediterranean ecosystems and pass this heritage on to future generations.
About SPA/RAC
Based in Tunis since 1985, the Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC) supports the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention in their efforts to protect and sustainably manage marine and coastal biodiversity in the Mediterranean. It contributes in particular to the conservation of species and habitats, as well as to the development and effective management of marine and coastal protected areas.
The Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), adopted within the framework of UNEP/MAP, provides a common framework for monitoring the state of the marine and coastal environment and guiding actions toward achieving Good Environmental Status.
Learn more: www.spa-rac.org | car-asp@spa-rac.org
About Gaia First
Gaia First is an international organisation committed to biodiversity protection through a systemic approach combining science, education, and environmental, scientific, and cultural diplomacy.
Guardians of Gaia is an official action of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science.
The programme is supported by major institutional partners, including:
- UNESCO and the French Commission for UNESCO
- UNEP/MAP – SPA/RAC
- EU4Ocean (European Commission – youth and ocean literacy)
- International Maritime Organization (IMO) – strategic partner of the Ocean Litter Programme (IMO, FAO, GEF) and the Global Noise Partnership (IMO, UNDP, GEF)
- CNRS (consortium on deep-sea issues)
- UNIMED (network of 184 universities and research institutions)
- FEE – Foundation for Environmental Education
Learn more: www.gaiafirst.org | press@gaiafirst.org
