Hellenic Centre for Marine Research (HCMR)-Costa Nostrum: Collaboration agreement to develop and disseminate knowledge about sustainable beaches certification schemes in the Mediterranean

by / Thursday, 30 July 2020 / Published in

Coastal ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to natural and human pressures.Sustainable development of coastal and marine-based economic activities requires robust impact assessments and coordinated management of all the varied interests in coastal resources. The ongoing dialogue and interactions among the research community,the industry and the civil society, are fundamental for improvements in the overall performance of coastal tourism, bridging the gap between recreation, tourism offer, and conservation, especially in the complex system of the Mediterranean coasts.

The HCMR team which is participating in the Interreg MED MISTRAL project  has identified good practices with high innovation potential in Greece (MISTRAL Blue Growth Challenges), that can be followed to ensure a sustainable competitive maritime economy. The aspiring certification scheme “Costa Nostrum® – Sustainable Beaches” was among them. Costa Nostrum® initiates a close collaboration with the research team of HCMR, within the MISTRAL project, in order to validate the requirements of its certification scheme in both technical and conformity assessment aspects, as well as the assumptions that underlie the need for, and the acceptance of, the scheme.The overall goal of this collaboration is to substantiate a “Certification Scheme” so as being applied for accreditation, and its widespread dissemination in the Mediterranean area. HCMR and Costa Nostrum® had previously agreed to build their collaboration by signing a Memorandum of Understanding, on February of 2020, to jointly advance the public awareness of sustainable integrated zoning in the coastal regions of Greece.

MISTRAL ispart of the European Transnational Cooperation Programme “Interreg MED” that aims to strengthen a transnational partnership made up of 8 countries (2 Ministries, 8 Regions, 5 Clusters, 3 RTOs and other organizations) in order to:

  • make marine knowledge and sustainable innovation the key drivers for “Blue Growth”,
  • support MED clusters to become an excellent intermediary of knowledge for increasing blue economy,
  • design and implement sustainable development trajectories harmonized with the MED regions Smart Specialization Strategies.

MISTRAL has the ambition to develop a wider governance vision in the maritime economy as well as, assuring the effective policy mainstreaming. A clustering innovation service pack for BG clusters and operators will improve the innovation performance of at least 300 SMEs with at least 100 experts benefiting from the transnational activities and exchange programmes on capacity building.

 

 

 

 

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