MedPAN is the network of managers of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean.

The objective of the network is to improve the effectiveness of marine protected areas management in the Mediterranean.

The MedPAN network today counts over 18 members, mainly managers of marine protected areas from the entire Mediterranean basin, and 6 partners that are keen to contribute to the strengthening of the network.

These partners manage more than 20 marine protected areas and are working towards the creation of several new sites.

Since 1990, the MedPAN network has sought to bring together the managers of Mediterranean marine protected areas (MPAs) and to support them in their management activities.

A legally independent structure since the end of 2008, MedPAN has recently staffed its permanent secretariat and established it in Hyères, France.

For details on how to join the MedPAN network, please click here.

As stated in its charter, the purpose of the organization is to promote the creation, perpetuation and operation of a Mediterranean ecological network of marine protected areas.

It thus contributes to achieving the specific objectives fixed by the Convention on Biological Diversity (Rio de Janeiro, 1992) to create and maintain comprehensive national and regional systems of well managed and ecologically representative marine protected areas, that collectively, inter alia through a global network, contribute to achieving the three objectives of the Convention as well as that of significantly reducing the present rate of biodiversity loss on the global, regional, national and sub-national levels. It also contributes to the implementation of the Barcelona convention and in particular its protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean ( Barcelona, 1995) that, under the auspices of the Mediterranean Action Plan and the Regional Activities Centre for Specially Protected Areas encourages countries to establish and manage specially protected areas, to implement research programmes and exchange of scientific and technical information, to prepare management plans and design cooperation programmes. MedPAN can contribute to any other convention, agreement or initiative that pursues the same objective.