To think about new strategies that safeguard both biodiversity and its contributions to human well-being, a team of researchers from CIIMAR and the University of Santiago de Compostela organized the workshop "Litoral Norte Natural Park: what futures?" in Esposende, on 17 and 18 January 2019. The objectives of the workshop were the following: 1) to create ideal visions for the next 10 years of Litoral Norte MPA; 2) to propose actions to achieve the idealised future visions; 3) to spatially identify key habitats, ecosystem services, threats and conflicts that occur in the MPA; and 4) to understand and discuss the diversity of perspectives and opinions on the present and future situation of Litoral Norte MPA.

 

The workshop, funded by the Ecomar Iberomarican network, aimed to propose possible futures for the Litoral Norte Natural Park until 2030 and was structured around four important themes: biodiversity conservation, professional fishing, tourism and nautical activities, governance and planning.

The workshop was attented by professional fishing representatives, local maritime tourism operators, representatives of the Municipality of Esposende, representatives of the ICNF, and researchers from the natural sciences and social sciences of the universities of Aveiro, Porto, Santiago de Compostela and CIIMAR.

 

The workshop resulted in distinct but complementary views. It was emphasized the need to integrate professional fishermen, local maritime tourism operators and other stakeholders in the area of ​​the park into the management decision making (ICNF and Esposende Municipality) supported on both scientific knowledge and local traditional knowledge. Another recommendation is to understand the carrying capacity of ecosystems, to evaluate fish stocks and to understand the interactions between human activity and local ecology. It was also stressed the need to communicate more effectively with the public.

 

The most voted actions proposed to reach the idealized futures for the Litoral Norte Natural Park in 2030 include creating a Center for Research, Interpretation and Dissemination of the natural, social, cultural and economic values ​​of the park; include stakeholders in decision-making;  creating a Social License; creating a system for the certification of sustainable products from the park that can include already existing products of the local fishing and agriculture, as new products (algae, salicornia, etc.); and implementing a comprehensive monitoring program to assess the effectiveness of the implemented management measures.

 

You can access the workshop information through the link.