The Med Fund, an environmental trust fund that aims to mobilise public and private actors to promote the development of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas, has put out a call for applications to help fund projects. Here’s how it works.
Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been a highly effective way to protect and manage marine biodiversity all over the world. They come in two forms, namely partially or fully protected, with the latter being vastly more regulated and beneficial to the ecosystems they cover.
According to a report put out by the United Nations, there are currently over 1,000 MPAs covering 6.5% of the Mediterranean Sea. Of those, only 76 are deemed “fully protected”, lowering intensive coverage to less than half a percent.
The Med Fund, who provides financial support toward the creation and management of MPAs through grants, covers recurring costs necessary to keep these places operational, and now they are on the hunt for new beneficiaries with an “interest dedicated to marine protected areas benefiting from a high degree of protection.”
WHO CAN APPLY
To be considered, applicants must have a project based in Albania, Algeria, Croatia, Greece, Lebanon, Montenegro, Morocco, Tunisia, or Turkey and must already be in advanced stages of creation.
They must also have a management team and plan in place specifying a high degree of protection, including aspects like no-take zones, exclusion zones, and wilderness areas.
WHAT IS ELIGIBLE FOR FUNDING
There is a vast list of eligible recurring costs the grants can cover. These include, amongst other things, personnel, equipment maintenance, infrastructure costs, costs incurred for regulation monitoring and enforcement, scientific monitoring, sustainability, and support of socio-economic activities.
The application can be downloaded from The Med Fund’s website https://themedfund.org/en/become-a-beneficiary/?fbclid=IwAR13ZXND52WNwzPH62Gs_LyknG3oEeVENutzJ4rKFoJVoJF7flG51s66Ueg and once filled in, can be submitted to contact@themedfund.org until 22nd February 2024.
For more information on The Med Fund or to donate, visit them here https://themedfund.org/en/about-us/
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