WE GO COOP

Mediterranean Wetlands represent highly susceptible ecosystems, often placed under environmental safeguard. According to the Ramsar Convention, they are characterized as among the most prolific and diverse environments globally, serving as crucial habitats for numerous species. The Interreg Euro-MED “WE GO COOP” project attempts a Systemic Approach to Collaborative Governance and Biodiversity Conservation.

These ecosystems face significant external pressures, including i) the condition of the associated river basins; ii) the impact of intensive agriculture leading to heightened water consumption and water and soil pollution; iii) extensive urbanization.

The effective conservation of wetland biodiversity is hindered by inadequate coordination and institutional capacity to manage the intricate territorial dynamics requiring varied levels of planning. Consequently, addressing this issue necessitates a departure from the prevailing sectoral approach and demands a systemic solution.

WE GO COOP tackles these challenges by advocating for the adoption of the Wetland Contract, a collaborative governance tool tested in multiple EU-funded initiatives. This initiative aims to enhance coordination among previously involved organizations and new central stakeholders.

The project’s objectives include:

1. Establishing a Community of Practice (CoP) among stakeholders engaged in Wetland Contracts at the Mediterranean level, leveraging insights from past EU-funded projects, and facilitating the sharing of challenges and solutions.
2. Facilitating the exchange of experiences, methodologies, and strategies, as well as transferring the Wetland Contract tool to new contexts within the Euro-Med region (Croatia, Portugal, Albania) and the South and Middle East Med region.

WE GO COOP utilizes transnational cooperation as a mechanism to form the CoP, bringing together diverse perspectives grappling with similar challenges. This approach enables the project to address the needs of wetlands on a large scale and ensures the applicability of its outcomes. The anticipated outcomes of WE GO COOP include:

1. Advancement of knowledge concerning collaborative governance processes in wetland conservation.
2. Enhancement of collaboration among researchers, policy-makers, experts, environmental associations, key stakeholders, and communities.

The project’s duration will be 24 months.

Partnership:

1. Organization for Local Development, ANATOLIKI S.A. (Greece)
2. The Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative (France)
3. Roma Tre University – Department of Architecture (Italy)
4. Andalusian Federation of Towns and Provinces (Spain)
5. Public Institution Nature Park Vransko jezero (Croatia)
6. Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania (Albania)
7. RCDI – Development and Innovation Network (Portugal)