The LIFE+ Malta Seabird Project, an EU funded initiative with BirdLife Malta, the RSPB (BirdLife UK), SPEA (BirdLife Portugal) and the Ministry for Sustainable Development, Environment and Climate Change (MSDEC) as project partners, would like to invite interested university students to our workshop 'Protecting Seabirds in the Mediterranean: Advancing the Marine Protected Area Network' being held at Ta' Cenc Hotel in Gozo between 23 and 25 November 2015.
On 23 November 2015 there will be a presentation of a draft inventory of Marine Important Bird Areas for seabirds in Maltese waters, a primary objective of the LIFE+ project resulting from various research methods employed to discover the sea habitat use of Malta's three Procellariform seabird species over the past four years. The workshop will discuss the need to protect international waters and will have various sessions on knowledge sharing and gap analysis for the entire Mediterranean region, identifying sites within and beyond national jurisdiction, priority areas and policy mechanisms from across the Mediterranean.
Various BirdLife partners and research institutions carrying out work relevant to the protection of marine areas as well as national authorities from all countries bordering the Mediterranean have already been invited with a strong participation. The workshop will start with an address from EU Commissioner for Environment, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Karmenu Vella.
University students interested in seabird research, maritime protection and management of protected areas are cordially invited to register their attendance for the opening day on 23 November 2015 by filling in the registration form and sending it by email to seabirdworkshop@gmail.com.