Monfalcone’ project meeting & awarness raising in Barcolana event

Between October 7 and 10, the Italian city of Monfalcone hosted the third ARTEMIS Steering Committee meeting, a key opportunity for partners to discuss and align their efforts throughout the project, which is dedicated to restoring and conserving degraded Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds in the Mediterranean through innovative protocols.

On 7 October, the Local Stakeholder Workshop, opened by Mayor Luca Fasan, focused on the value of seagrass meadows and the opportunities for public–private partnerships to protect and enhance coastal ecosystems.

On 8 and 9 October, the ARTEMIS project meeting gathered partners to review progress and align on governance, policy, and nature finance actions. The week concluded on 10 October in Trieste, where ARTEMIS alongside the Municipality of Monfalcone presented their work at the 57th edition of the Barcolana, promoting a renewed culture of the sea.

LOCAL STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP IN MONFALCONE: BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS FOR A SUSTAINABLE ADRIATIC

The Local Stakeholder Workshop, held in Monfalcone on 7 October 2025, opened with greetings from Mayor Luca Fasan, who welcomed ARTEMIS partners and reaffirmed the municipality’s commitment to marine restoration and sustainable coastal development. The event was moderated by Francesca Visintin (Eframe Srl), consultant to the Municipality within ARTEMIS.

 

The discussions focused on the Adriatic context  environmental pressures, climate resilience, and nature finance tools such as biodiversity credits, blue bonds, and PES (Payment for Ecosystem Services) with case studies on seagrass restoration in Panzano, Miramare, and other pilot sites. The Panzano buoy field was presented as a model for future public–private partnerships, alongside the FVGreen regional law on climate adaptation.

In previous projects, ecological mooring buoys were already installed to protect seagrass meadows; today, partners are exploring ways to maintain and expand these nature-positive infrastructures, key to balancing economic activities like shipbuilding and boating with environmental sustainability.

ARTEMIS PARTNER MEETING IN MONFALCONE: SCIENCE, POLICY AND FINANCE FOR SEAGRASS RESTORATION

On 8 and 9 October, partners gathered in Monfalcone for two intensive working days dedicated to the progress of the ARTEMIS project.

The first session of the meeting focused on the results collected at the four pilot sites of the project:  Capo Testa-Punta Falcone (Italy), Atzikiari Bay (Greece), Cala Blanca (Spain), and Panzano Bay(Italy). Marine biologists from MEDSEA, HCMR, and IME-OBSAM compared data on the biodiversity offered by Posidonia oceanica meadows  in different Mediterranean areas, deepening and standardizing the method of collection and analysis. The exchange of information also concerned the progress of the planting of new Posidonia cuttings, which repopulate degraded areas in the pilot sites in Italy, Spain, and Greece.

 

The dialogue also addressed the differences in the impact that anthropogenic pressure has on the same areas. From biology to economics: another very important moment for the Steering Committee was the workshop on PES (Payments for Ecosystem Services), which aimed to review European directives and roadmaps for nature credits.

On the morning of 9 October, led by our partners Bax, a dedicated Peer Learning session on Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) took place, featuring a keynote by Ece Özdemiroglu, Founder and CEO of EFTEC and leading expert on nature markets. Her presentation examined how market-based instruments -from carbon to biodiversity credits- can create value for marine ecosystems, stressing the need for clear rules, transparency, and trust to make these mechanisms effective. A detailed report on this productive session will soon be published on our website.

The session was followed by an interactive workshop exercise led by Ecoacsa, Bax, and the ARTEMIS pilot sites, where participants explored risk factors, market potential, and opportunities for PES development across the Mediterranean. The exchange underscored the role of credible standards and multi-stakeholder collaboration in shaping sustainable nature finance frameworks.The document that inspired the debate was the report produced by Ecoacsa and EY Denkstatt Bulgaria, with the important contribution of Plan Bleu,The Green Tank and all partners. The study offers an initial overview of PES in the Mediterranean, highlighting how the restoration of seagrass beds can generate ecological, social, and economic value. The document recognizes the importance of Posidonia oceanica seagrass beds and the multiple benefits and ecosystem services they provide, from carbon sequestration to coastal protection, not to mention the central role they play in protecting biodiversity.

The study also illustrates how European instruments such as the CSRD Directive, the EU Taxonomy, and the new Nature Credit Roadmap can support the protection and recovery of these habitats. The report builds a bridge between ecological restoration and the economic value of these ecosystems, offering investors a unique opportunity in an emerging market with significant and lasting impact. Finally, it presents innovative financial approaches that link environmental regeneration to measurable economic value, enriched by the concrete experiences gained at the ARTEMIS project’s pilot sites.

The Partner Meeting concluded with the Steering Committee session, which provided an opportunity to review progress across all work packages and to outline the next steps for the final phase of the project.

ARTEMIS AT BARCOLANA 57: RAISING AWARENESS ON SEAGRASS PROTECTION AND SAILING RESPONSIBILITY

Thanks to the partnership with the Municipality of Monfalcone, the ARTEMIS team took part in the 57th edition of the Barcolana, the historic regatta that every year brings together sailors and sea enthusiasts from around the world, with over 200 exhibitions at the Barcolana Village. The ARTEMIS stand became a true meeting point for sea lovers many of whom are still unaware of the crucial role of seagrasses in the health of marine ecosystems.

These habitats suffer severely from the impacts of anchoring and other human pressures, which have already reduced their coverage in the Mediterranean by at least 30%, a loss that can erase in moments what has taken centuries to grow. During the regatta, while ARTEMIS presented to the public for the first time the report “Investment Opportunities in Seagrass Restoration”  experts and partners engaged directly with visitors, sharing the project’s results and discussing how nature finance can support the restoration and protection of seagrass meadows across the Mediterranean.

The day also featured the official inauguration of the ARTEMIS and Municipality of Monfalcone stand, attended by local authorities including Hon. Anna Maria Cisint, followed by an event moderated by MEDSEA with sailors Loris Plet and Giulia Leghissa. Under the motto “Chi ama il vento, protegge il mare” (Those who love the wind, protect the sea), the session invited the sailing community to reflect on its role in protecting marine habitats a moment of shared responsibility and dialogue between sport and environmental stewardship.