The Forum for the Conservation of the Patagonian Sea and Areas of Influence participated in two meetings organized in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia, from October 9 to 13, in order to share management and training experiences, exchange results and deepen interactions in relation to the operation of networks of managers of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).
These were the “Annual Workshop of the MPA Network Twinning Project” and the “2nd Learning Exchange on MPA Management between the Atlantic and South-East Asia”, organized by the Ocean Governance project, funded by the European Union, with the active participation of the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs, Fisheries and Food Security (CTI-CFF).
The workshop focused on the exchange of experiences and the planning of future actions among the members of the project destined to the generation of networks of MPAs managers in the Atlantic. The Forum, through the School for the Management of MPAs of the Southern Cone, participated as the sole representative of Argentina, together with professionals from organizations in the United States, Dominican Republic, Spain, France, Portugal and Senegal.
The second event was aimed at sharing lessons learned in MPAs management from the Atlantic and South-East Asia. The Atlantic group was joined by professionals from the Philippines, Indonesia, East Timor, and Malaysia, among others. In a program of 16 sessions, topics such as financial sustainability of MPAs, management effectiveness, protection of marine mammals, sea turtles, coral and mangrove restoration, and coastal resilience were discussed.
The Forum’s participation in this framework made it possible to disseminate the experience of the School for the Management of MPAs of the Southern Cone at an international level and to share experiences with those leading networks of MPAs managers in other parts of the world.
“Having networks of trained managers is fundamental for the effective implementation of MPAs systems. From the exchanges facilitated by this event, cooperative ties and possibilities have been established for the participants of our Community of practice of the School to exchange experiences with managers from other parts of the world,” says Alexandra Sapoznikow, academic coordinator of the School for the Management of MPAs of the Southern Cone.
Both meetings highlighted the importance of MPAs networks and managers from around the world connecting with each other and sharing knowledge, successes and failures.
The two meetings concluded with a field visit to Manukan Island, which is part of Tunku Abdul Rahman Park, a state park located 3 km off the coast of Kota Kinabalu.
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