The 25th anniversary of the Masia Blanca Marine Protected Area (MPA) was celebrated on November 6th at El Vendrell (Spain) and organised by El Vendrell’s local authorities and Oceánicos association. The event gathered representatives of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, the General director of the Marine and sustainable fisheries of the Catalan Government, University Rovira i Virgili, Agents rurals, the ICM-CSIC and Sotavent association, which gave relevant presentations on their work related to the conservation of Mediterranean seas. 

Among these talks, Dr Jaume Piera presented the results and highlighted the growth on observations reported in MINKA, all thanks to the ANERIS-supported event BioMARathon. Piera further explained how the Community of Practice in the Catalan coast has achieved continuous data input throughout the year, validating the concept of Operational Marine Biology in Catalonia. In addition, he emphasised the importance of local monitoring projects in gathering biodiversity information to address global challenges. For instance, Piera mentioned the local Community of Practice in Masia Blanca MPA and its crucial role in supporting citizen science and raising awareness on biodiversity and ocean conservation.

That being said, Sotavent association, a local diving association from El Vendrell and the sole promoter of the creation of the MPA, also gave a presentation on the importance of Masia Blanca with vast Posidonia meadows and large schools of fish living in the area.

To wrap up, there was a roundtable discussion on the management of the MPA, the scientific purpose of the MPA, the dissemination and the relationship between social society and the MPA. Key discussion takeaways included the relevance of establishing connectivity among the different MPAs to create interconnected reservoirs of biodiversity, with adequate management plans, the implementation of lay knowledge, bringing valuable information from local actors to the table, and the involvement of relevant stakeholders, from administrations, to citizens, students and scientists.