The Azorean Government, through the Regional Fund for Science and technology, coordinates the MISTIC SEAS III project, amounting to 1.8 million Euros, for the implementations of the Marine Strategic Framework Directive (MSFD) regarding Descriptor 4 - "Marine Food Chains" in the Azores, Madeira and Canary Islands.
With an estimated implementation period of 24 months, MISTIC SEAS III will be presented in Brussels on Thursday, March 21, at the headquarters of the European Commission's Directorate-General for the Environment. It follows the MISTIC SEAS I and II projects, also coordinated by the Azores, which aimed at the standardisation of methodologies for evaluating bird, sea turtle and cetacean populations in the archipelagos of Macaronesia; they species of paramount importance for the conservation of marine ecosystems.
Within the scope of MSFD, the MISTIC SEAS project started in 2015 and developed a common methodology for the monitoring of three functional groups of Descriptor 1 - "Biodiversity" in the region of Macaronesia focusing on the populations of the species shared by the three archipelagos.
In turn, the MISTIC SEAS II project was launched in 2017: "Implementing a coherent and coordinated sub-regional approach in the monitoring and evaluation of marine biodiversity in Macaronesia" with the goal of continuing the works developed in the first project.
Financed by the European Commission through DG-ENV with funds from the European Maritime and Fisheries Fund (EMFF), MISTIC SEAS III is coordinated by the Azores, through the Regional Fund for Science and Technology. The designated sectoral authority will be the Regional Directorate for Sea Affairs, the entity responsible for compliance with the MSFD in the Region.
The project also involves the participation of the Regional Directorate for Spatial Planning and Environment of Madeira (DROTA), the Regional Agency for Development of Research, Technology and Innovation of Madeira (ARDITI) and the Regional Directorate of Natural Resources, Safety and Maritime Services.
The Fundación Biodiversidad (Biodiversity Foundation), the Instituto Español de Oceanografia (Spanish Institute of Oceanography), the Dirección General de Sostenibilidad de la Costa y del Mar - Subdirección General para la Protección del Mar (General Directorate for the Sustainability of the Coast and the Sea) and Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Spanish National Research Council) are the Spanish partners of the project.
Furthermore, it will also count on the technical and scientific assistance of teams of Azorean researchers specialising in birds, turtles and cetaceans.