SPA RAC

📢 Nouvelle opportunité de collaborer avec nous :
Le SPA/RAC recrute un(e) consultant(e) pour fournir un appui technique au Ministère de l’Environnement en Tunisie, pour la mise en œuvre des activités de supervision (oversight) du portefeuille national des projets du Fonds pour l’Environnement Mondial (FEM) en Tunisie.

🔎 Plus d’informations et candidature :
https://spa-rac.org/fr/opportunites/appel-a-consultation-recrutement-dune-consultante-en-appui-technique-a-la-supervision-du-portefeuille-des-projets-du-fem-en-tunisie/


وزارة البيئة-تونس Ministère de l'Environnement-Tunisie

🌊In February 2026, Montenegro launched an important national process under the FishEBM MED project to better integrate biodiversity into blue economy development. 🌍🌱

Held in Bar on 26 February, the first stakeholder workshop brought together public institutions, fisheries and tourism actors, researchers, and civil society to help shape the future National Action Plan (NAP+).

📌 The newly released workshop report identifies key priorities, including:
-expanding and updating stakeholder engagement
-addressing pollution and improving traceability in fish markets
-supporting pilot initiatives (e.g. eco-tourism, small-scale processing, awareness campaigns)
-strengthening monitoring, enforcement, and institutional coordination.

Next steps will focus on turning stakeholder inputs into a practical and actionable NAP+ framework.

🔗Discover the full workshop outcomes in the report: https://spa-rac.org/en/advancing-a-biodiversity-inclusive-blue-economy-in-montenegro-key-insights-from-the-first-nap-workshop/

FishEBM MED is a regional project funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and implemented by FAO and UNEP/MAP, in collaboration with and SPA/RAC, supporting Mediterranean countries in advancing ecosystem-based fisheries management.

📣SPA/RAC is launching a call for consultancy to recruit two independent external experts to carry out the mid-term evaluation of the Regional Strategy for Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs) and Other Effective area-based Conservation Measures (OECMs). 🌊

Learn more: https://spa-rac.org/en/opportunities/call-for-consultancy-mid-term-evaluation-of-the-regional-strategy-for-mcpas-and-oecms/

FR 🇫🇷
GAIA FIRST et le SPA RAC annoncent une collaboration stratégique pour renforcer la conservation marine en Méditerranée.

📍Au cœur de cette initiative : Mare Nostrum, avec un réseau de hubs côtiers et une expédition reliant Tanger à Monaco, avec des escales à Cartagena, Tunis, Palerme et Nice, et impliquant 40 jeunes explorateurs.

🎯Objectif : connecter science, savoirs traditionnels et engagement local pour protéger durablement les écosystèmes méditerranéens.

👉 Lire le communiqué :
https://spa-rac.org/fr/gaia-first-et-le-spa-rac-annoncent-une-collaboration-strategique-pour-renforcer-la-conservation-marine-en-mediterranee/

EN 🇬🇧

Gaia First and SPA/RAC announce a strategic collaboration to strengthen marine conservation in the Mediterranean.

📍At the core: Mare Nostrum, combining a network of coastal hubs and an expedition from Tangier to Monaco, with stopovers in Cartagena, Tunis, Palermo, and Nice, and involving 40 young explorers.

🎯Objective: connect science, traditional knowledge and local engagement to sustainably protect Mediterranean ecosystems.

👉 Learn more: https://spa-rac.org/en/gaia-first-and-spa-rac-announce-a-strategic-collaboration-to-strengthen-marine-conservation-in-the-mediterranean/

🌊𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝟖𝐭𝐡 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐟𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐓𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝟗 𝐭𝐨 𝟏𝟑 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔. 𝐄𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐲 𝐁𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐑𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐩𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐫𝐮𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝟑𝟎 𝐉𝐮𝐧𝐞 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔.

🐢Join this key regional event to exchange knowledge and ideas, and to strengthen networking and collaboration in marine turtle research and conservation across the Mediterranean.

🌐Learn more: https://medturtleconf.gr

🤝Organized by ΑΡΧΕΛΩΝ-Archelon, the Sea Turtle Protection Society of Greece, the 8th Mediterranean Conference on Marine Turtles will be held in Marathon, Attica, Greece, with the support of UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the IUCN/SSC Marine Turtle Specialist Group.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐎𝐄𝐂𝐌𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐞𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝟑𝟎𝐱𝟑𝟎 𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐠𝐞𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐞𝐝𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐞𝐚𝐧? 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐦𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐎𝐄𝐂𝐌𝐬 𝐛𝐞 𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐞𝐝 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐞𝐝?

To learn more, read the new report capturing key insights and practical takeaways from our January webinar on Understanding and Using Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) to Achieve the 30x30 Target in the Mediterranean, organised by SPA/RAC, UICN - Centre de coopération pour la Méditerranée, and BlueSeeds.

🔗 https://www.togetherforthemed.org/oecms-in-the-mediterranean-report/

🌅 𝗢𝗘𝗖𝗠𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗱𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗿𝗮𝗻𝗲𝗮𝗻 𝘄𝗲𝗯𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗿 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗮𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗮𝗶𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲!

Following our January webinar on 𝘜𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘜𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘖𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘌𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘦𝘢-𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘊𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘔𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦𝘴 (𝘖𝘌𝘊𝘔𝘴) 𝘵𝘰 𝘈𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘦𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 30𝘹30 𝘛𝘢𝘳𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘔𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘢𝘯, the SPA RAC, the UICN - Centre de coopération pour la Méditerranée and BlueSeeds are pleased to share a webinar replay and a new report capturing the key insights from the discussion.

Find everything here:
👉https://bit.ly/3O6F2la

The report explores how OECMs can contribute to achieving the 30x30 target in the Mediterranean, provides practical guidance and resources for stakeholders, and answers many of the questions raised during the webinar.

Many thanks to our contributors:
👤 Yaprak Arda – Marine Programme Officer, IUCN Mediterranean
👤 Asma Kheriji – SPA Programme Manager, SPA/RAC (UNEP-MAP)
👤 François Simard – Independent expert
👤 Sue Wells – Independent expert
They helped shape this report and shared their expertise.

🌊A recent scientific study confirms a previously unrecorded nesting population of loggerhead sea turtles (Caretta caretta) at Ghedhabna Beach, on Tunisia’s eastern coast.

🐢Over three consecutive nesting seasons (2023–2025), nearly 40 nests per year on average were recorded — making Ghedhabna the second most important nesting site in Tunisia after the Kuriat Islands.

🤝Led by the National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies (INSTM), in collaboration with the association Notre Grand Bleu and local communities, and supported by SPA/RAC, the study combined intensive field monitoring with interviews conducted among 120 local residents.

📚While nesting had been reported anecdotally for years, this is the first time it has been scientifically documented and assessed.

🌐Discover more: �https://spa-rac.org/en/a-new-nesting-site-for-loggerhead-sea-turtles-discovered-in-tunisia/



Notre Grand Bleu INSTM -Tunisian Sea Turtle Rescue Centre Institut National des Sciences et Technologies de la Mer
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Photos of Olfa Chaieb

🌊Explore current collaboration opportunities with SPA/RAC:

🔹 National expert on marine litter monitoring and management in Libya ⚠️Time remaining for submission: 2 days
https://spa-rac.org/en/opportunities/call-for-consultation-national-expert-on-marine-litter-monitoring-and-management-in-libya/
🔹 National Coordinator for the Development and Implementation of the Pilot NAP+ and Investment Plan in Montenegro
https://spa-rac.org/en/opportunities/call-for-consultation-national-coordinator-for-the-development-and-implementation-of-the-pilot-nap-and-investment-plan-in-montenegro-2/
🔹 Production of promotional videos of the coastal and marine area of Gara Island in Libya
https://spa-rac.org/en/opportunities/call-for-consultation-production-of-promotional-videos-of-the-coastal-and-marine-area-of-gara-island-in-libya/

🌊Through the GEF-financed Mediterranean Sea Programme (MedProgramme), Libya is working to expand and strengthen its national Marine Protected Area network under the Management Support and Expansion of Marine Protected Areas Project.

A central principle guides this effort: marine and coastal protection cannot be gender neutral. When women and men participate equally in conservation planning, monitoring and decision-making, outcomes are stronger and more sustainable. 🌍🌱

As a valued partner in this work, the Marine Biology in Libya, led by Executive Director Sara Almabruk, plays a critical role in connecting science, communities and gender inclusion.

Learn more: https://www.unep.org/gef/news-and-stories/blogpost/voice-coast-gender-marine-protection

A Voice for the Coast: Gender in Marine Protection Along Libya’s Mediterranean coastline, marine ecosystems support fisheries, food security and local livelihoods. Yet strengthening Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) requires more than ecological data — it demands inclusive governance, community trust, and gender-responsive approaches. Through the GE...

🌊 Reminder – Two opportunities to collaborate with SPA/RAC are still open.
🔹 National expert on marine litter monitoring and management (Libya)
https://spa-rac.org/en/opportunities/call-for-consultation-national-expert-on-marine-litter-monitoring-and-management-in-libya/
🔹 National training sessions on the management effectiveness of MCPAs and SPAMIs using the IMET tool (Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia)
https://spa-rac.org/en/opportunities/call-for-consultation-national-training-sessions-on-the-management-effectiveness-of-mcpas-spamis-using-the-imet-tool/