“The Mediterranean Sea area lacked a strong coalition”

The Med Sea Alliance gained momentum in 2022. One of the achievements of this young coalition is the successful launch of an online atlas that charts the level of illegal bottom trawling in protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea. But how do you form an alliance with 15 different organizations? What can we learn from their results and challenges? Anne Rémy is the alliance's coordinator and Aniol Esteban is the director of member organization Marilles Foundation and member of the steering group. They had a conversation with Karlijn Steinbusch, our People & Nature program manager.

Why was this alliance necessary?

Anne: “It was clear that the Mediterranean Sea area lacked a strong and coordinated NGO coalition, an alliance that could campaign and influence policy.”

Aniol: “The Mediterranean Sea is a hotspot for biodiversity, but also an area where that diversity has become seriously compromised. It is the most overfished sea in the world. It was high time we joined forces. With support from Adessium Foundation and Oceans 5, 15 NGOs covened in Brussels in the Fall of 2019 to discuss what could be done to reverse these detoriarating trends. This meeting turned out to be the beginning of the Med Sea Alliance.”

Karlijn: “It had been a long time since Mediterranean-based and Brusselsbased organizations last discussed how they could work together to restore biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. For us as funders, it was important to notice the enthusiasm in the group during that meeting in Brussels to join forces.”

How do you reach a consensus in a large group?

Anne: “Our members have a variety of backgrounds: from small, locally operating organizations to larger international players. What struck me immediately about the alliance – and what appealed to me greatly – was the sharp focus on three main priorities: reducing the impacts of bottom trawling, ensuring proper law enforcement at sea, and protecting and expanding marine protected areas and fisheries restricted areas. It was incredibly important to select these three priorities in order to establish a clear focus.”

Karlijn: ““Forging real collaboration takes time and that is not possible in a two-day workshop. It's important that there is an open and safe environment in which people share their experiences, knowledge and ideas. Therefore, we opted for an open-ended process, professionally facilitated. The facilitator created the safe space, helped define common goals and processes on how to collaborate.”

What did you learn from working with such a diverse group of organizations?

Anne: “In the Med Sea Alliance you have to deal with so many different cultures, standpoints and working methods. Fortunately, this complexity is counterbalanced by what it brings us: when faced with a problem, I realize how fantastic it is that we have 15 experts who are going to consider the issue. It means you’re 15 times more likely to solve the problem.”

Aniol: “In my opinion, it is most important that the members recognize the benefits of the alliance. Fortunately, the first four project proposals we drafted reflect these benefits. I'm not afraid to say that the quality and ambition of these proposals is infinitely better than a proposal written by just one of the members.”

Do all members see the benefits?

Anne: “They most certainly do. Thanks to their membership they have access to useful information and can gain all kinds of new insights. The members have such a wide variety of expertise. For example, one member is an authority on technical fisheries legislation while the other is an expert on legal issues. Moreover, they share their network and I regularly hear conversations such as: ‘Do you know such and such politician? Can you help me get in touch with them?’ And they've managed to reach funders who they couldn’t have approached alone. They can see the value of being part of a movement.”

Aniol: “The big players in the alliance do not doubt the usefulness of our alliance at this time. But we should be vigilant to ensure that they continue to see the benefits. An alliance also has a lot of ‘transaction costs’: the many conversations, people you have to convince, the discussions we have together. The benefits must continue to outweigh the transaction costs.”

Anne: “That is true. But I do think that the strength of our alliance lies in the collective knowledge of the Mediterranean. Larger organizations are also eagerly looking for more local expertise and information to better understand this region. And they can now work in countries they weren’t able to work in before, especially in the southern and eastern coastal countries.”

What are you proud of?

Anne: “I am proud of our atlas that charts illegal bottom trawling, one of the results of our very first project. The atlas was presented at the United Nations Oceans Conference in Lisbon in June 2022, which was also attended by renowned marine biologist Sylvia Earle. This was also the perfect opportunity for the alliance to present itself to governments, scientists and NGOs working in the field of ocean protection. This media launch and our first study of bottom trawling in Italy resulted in more than 70 media reports. It was a great result. It was also the first time that the Med Sea Alliance communicated with the public.”

Karlijn: “A huge milestone indeed, because the members had to agree for the first time on external communication. And that's exciting because as an organization, you are officially presenting yourself as a member of this alliance for the first time. Making clear agreements is vital to ensure that member organizations rest assured that everything the alliance communicates is in line with the shared mission and the strategy.”

Anne: “Another challenge is the internal alignment with our member organizations. The people who participate in the alliance meetings, may not be the same as those who implement the projects in the end. We have to ensure that these documents are easier to understand. As a campaign movement, you want to be able to move smoothly and quickly.”

Aniol: “The creation of the alliance is very important. It is good to remember that the alliance is still in its infancy. We will face challenges and different views. But I'm convinced we'll all come out stronger.”

What is your dream for this alliance?

Anne: “My main dream is that we can involve even more coastal countries. We now have a good representation in the EU countries, but we still lack muscle in the other countries.”

Aniol: “I agree, a larger alliance, with more diverse members.”

Karlijn: “I hope more funders will see the strength and potential of the Med Sea Alliance and want to contribute to restoring biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea.”

The Med Sea Alliance in action

A brief summary of four projects:

1. Terminating illegal bottom trawling in protected areas of the Mediterranean. The alliance investigates the extent of illegal bottom trawling in protected waters and exposes these practices.

2. Improving the transparency and governance of the fishing industry in the Mediterranean. The alliance wants to stop illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing in the Mediterranean.

3. Protecting coral habitats from bottom trawling: this project is under development, and the alliance is looking for funders.

4. Promoting the UN’s biodiversity objectives in the Mediterranean. One of the project’s objectives is to ensure that 30% of the Mediterranean is protected by 2030.

Karlijn Steinbusch decided to follow her passion for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea and has taken on the role of director of the Med Sea Alliance at the time this annual report was printed.

Top left: A ‘coralligenous habitat’ full of underwater life, found at 40 to 250 meters depth. One of the best-kept secrets of the Mediterranean. Left: A sea turtle in a protected zone.