News

MARMAPS consortium hosts networking event

The MARMAPS consortium held a successful regional networking event on 2-3 December 2025 in Constanța, Romania, bringing together influential and interested stakeholders from the Black Sea region. The event served as a platform for collaboration among various participants, including government administrations, research institutes, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

Throughout the two-day event, participants were introduced to the partners’ significant contributions to the eFolio, highlighting the project’s achievements in promoting MPAs across the region. The second day featured presentations on partner projects and marked the launch of a regional networking initiative designed to facilitate long-term cross-border collaboration efforts focused on the protection of Black Sea ecosystems.

This event represents a decisive step towards uniting efforts for better marine conservation and sustainability in the Black Sea. The MARMAPS consortium remains committed to fostering partnerships that enhance the protection of our vital marine environment.

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Bulgarian stakeholders discuss marine protected areas

A wide range of stakeholders from various fields, including researchers and representatives from public institutions and NGOs as well as university students, met on 11 November 2025 in Varna, Bulgaria, for an event about marine protected areas in the Black Sea. The event was covered by the Bulgarian national TV and radio.

At the beginning, the MARMAPS eFolio was introduced, and then followed a lively discussion in groups. A series of questions was debated by the participants concerning the challenges for the creation and management of marine protected areas in the Black Sea, reaching international conservations targets, how to improve collaboration on various levels from local communities to cross-border actions, and how success in conservation efforts should be measured. The results of the discussion will feed into policy recommendations.

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MARMAPS at Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2025

At the Black Sea Stakeholder Conference on 28 October 2025 in Constanța, Romania, MARMAPS was represented by three of the project partners: BSNN, Mare Nostrum and BSB UEAS. The MARMAPS poster presented the open environmental eFolio and its components, and the representatives had the opportunity to meet and discuss with partners and interested stakeholders, and to network in the wider region.

The Black Sea Stakeholder Conference is an annual event co-organised by the European Commission. More than a hundred representatives from different sectors working with projects in the sea basin participated in this forum. The Conference offers an opportunity for exchanging information and charting future policies and developments under the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.

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Photo contest on marine protection

Our partner project BLUE4ALL has launched a photography contest with the topic What Does Marine Protection Mean to Me?

The aim is to reflect on personal connections to the ocean and showcase what marine protection means to individuals.

Topics are Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), Coastal or marine environments symbolising ocean conservation, Interactions between people and the sea, and Marine or coastal organisms and ecosystems.

One winner will be selected from each European sea basin, including the Black Sea. Submissions can be sent until 26 August 2025 at this link.

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Photo contest attracts over 100 participants

The winners in the regional photo contest Wonders of the Black Sea: a Biodiversity Perspective were awarded certificates of excellence at an online ceremony on 14 February 2025. The photo contest aims at raising public awareness about the importance of biodiversity and conservation of the Black Sea ecosystems.

The competition organised by the MARMAPS partners attracted more than a hundred lovers of nature and the underwater world from Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine and Turkey. Half of the participants are children and youth, and both professional and amateur photographers submitted their works.

The pictures reflect the colours and variety of marine diversity, familiar species and birds, the beauty of the seascape and the beach, as well as the bustling human activity along the coastline. They show the deep commitment of the participants for the protection of the marine and coastal environments. The photographers’ keen observations of both the aquatic inhabitants and human impact also express their concern for our common Black Sea.

Ten winning photographs from each country in the three thematic areas as well as young participants have been highlighted in the Gallery.

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Kick-off meeting in Thessaloniki

The MARMAPS team and stakeholders met at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece, for the kick-off meeting of the project on 3 and 4 October 2024. The meeting took place both in person and online. This hybrid format enabled the participation of stakeholders and those team members, who could not attend the meeting in Thessaloniki.

The activities and next steps of the project were discussed and prepared. Antonios Mazaris (AUTH) presented concepts of Marine Protected Areas and Marine Conservation Planning. The participants reviewed the knowledge base and current state of Black Sea conservation planning implementation, and examined the provision of information and various possibilities for the creation of the environmental electronic eFolio and the application of systematic conservation planning.

The programme included several training sessions about the sources and types of spatial data, collection and manipulation of such data and the application of spatial tools for marine protected area management.

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Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2024

MARMAPS was presented at the Black Sea Stakeholder Conference 2024 by Aleksandar Shivarov from Black Sea NGO Network and Antonios Mazaris from the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. This year’s edition of the conference took place on 11 September 2024 in Chișinău, Republic of Moldova.

MARMAPS objectives and activities, as well as expected results and outputs were highlighted to visitors of the poster exhibition. This provided an excellent opportunity to network with other organisations and establish valuable contacts with potential partners.

The Black Sea Stakeholder Conference is an annual event co-organised by the European Commission. It brings together representatives from different sectors implementing marine projects in the wider sea basin, and serves as a forum for discussing future policy directions under the Common Maritime Agenda for the Black Sea.