Seascapes Programme (Blue Planet Fund) Stakeholder Engagement Event

Description

This notice is to promote interest in a 2nd Engagement Event for Seascapes, a transboundary MPA programme funded by the UK’s Official Development Assistance (ODA) programme. Seascapes aims to test and scale transboundary marine conservation for species protection, ecosystem integrity and economic development in eligible countries. The first region it will support is the Eastern Tropical Pacific (ETP), focussing on the marine corridor area and the CMAR initiative. <br/><br/>We are hosting an event for interested parties on Tuesday 20th February. The event will provide an update on our proposed requirements for delivery, including potential workstreams and activities. We are also keen to receive feedback from potential delivery partners on the feasibility of our requirements, which we will use to support the design of any future tender. <br/><br/>You are invited to join the web conference at 16:00-17:00 GMT. We will share information about the Seascapes programme, focusing on the potential procurement process for the ETP region project and the programme’s outline workstreams.<br/><br/>Once registered we will share a series of questions ahead of the session, and we will also include a high-level programme summary document. There will opportunities for feedback during and after the session.<br/><br/>We welcome participation from governments, non-governmental organisations, the private sector and research organisations, and other interested parties. The event is not part of a tendering process. Defra reserves the right not to commit to any commercial process or arrangement following this market engagement event. <br/><br/>Please register by following the instructions within the Additional information (section II.2.14.1) of this notice by 16th February at 17:00 GMT.<br/><br/>The event will take place in English. Lot 1: Introduction to Seascapes Programme: <br/><br/>To support marine biodiversity through protected area networks, Defra is designing a Seascapes Programme (expected to be up to £50m) to support the effective implementation, management and enforcement of transboundary Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Other Effective Conservation Measures (OECM) networks, or 'Seascapes'. Well managed Seascapes bring specific ecological benefits such as the survival of migratory species and strengthening ecosystem resilience in the face of climate change. The programme aims to deliver outcomes through five pathways: <br/><br/>1. Biodiversity and MPA management <br/>2. Incursion monitoring and enforcement <br/>3. Institutional governance <br/>4. Livelihoods and communities <br/>5. Sustainable financing <br/><br/>The first Seascape will be in the Eastern Tropical Pacific, supporting CMAR. The CMAR initiative is a collaboration between Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, and Panama focused on the conservation and sustainable use of resources in the Eastern Tropical Pacific Marine Corridor. In 2021 the four countries agreed to expand and connect their MPAs to establish a transboundary MPA network that created migratory swimways for key marine species. The UK has provided some initial support to the region and seeks to build on this through its Seascapes Programme. Additional information: Registration link: https://teams.microsoft.com/registration/UCQKdycCYkyQx044U38RAg,0JIdO-FrxUW1YEKzXihbfQ,bMRbicryNkifID4EpSWchQ,_hD0eNfrYEyc6Or57_Y6dQ,yGFAY62MfkGrcG2xBrGPgA,crU6vYv4F06YJlgh8-3ADA?mode=read&tenantId=770a2450-0227-4c62-90c7-4e38537f1102 <br/><br/><br/><br/>Please consider limiting the number of representatives dialling in from your organisation to a maximum of two.