Cutting-Edge technology at the forefront of environmental activities on three islands of the Blue Municipalities Network
A European program promoting the use of technological tools to address marine pollution is being implemented on three islands of the Blue Municipalities Network: Alonissos, Poros, and Skyros.
The MERMAID program is carried out by Aegean Rebreath and is based on a series of multifaceted activities aimed at educating and raising awareness among local authorities and communities.
The first phase of the program includes educational workshops in all schools across the three islands, focusing on the importance of protecting marine resources at the local level and on the use of innovative technologies to tackle marine pollution. At the same time, students are expected to become familiar with technological tools through hands-on workshops that will be organized in the port areas of the islands.
The second phase of the program involves consultations with local stakeholders to identify the challenges they face in relation to the coastal and marine environment, which will lead to proposals being submitted to the municipal authorities. In parallel, preventive actions are planned to reduce marine litter, including training municipal staff, expanding Aegean Rebreath’s Marine Litter Collection Stations and developing relevant informational tools.
The third phase of the program focuses on the implementation of extensive cleanup and restoration activities for the marine environment, as well as ensuring the collection of primary research data. These actions include mapping pollution in marine zones, underwater cleanups in ports and reefs and research activities using technological tools to assess the quality of seawater and sediment in the ports of the three islands.
The findings from the implementation of the project are expected to be utilized at the European level and serve as a foundation for developing related policy guidelines.
The MERMAID project is funded through the grants available to the “Connected Regions” initiative under the SeaClear2.0 project. SeaClear2.0 is co-financed by the European Union through the Horizon Europe Program and is among the projects supporting the EU’s goals under the “MISSION RESTORE OUR OCEAN AND WATERS” platform, aiming to restore and protect our oceans, seas, and waters by 2030.