The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has announced the re-election of Sonia Castañeda as Regional Councillor for Western Europe, a result that enjoyed broad and solid support from members worldwide.

The IUCN Council is the main governing body of IUCN between the sessions of the IUCN World Conservation Congress, the greatest event of its kind for nature conservation experts worldwide, and the General Assembly of its Members.

The October 2025 elections, in which the Union’s members voted, resulted in the re-election of Ms. Razan Al Mubarak of the United Arab Emirates to the Presidency. Sonia Castañeda, Deputy Director of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Spanish Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO), was also re-elected. Her candidacy, presented by the ministry, was supported by, among others, the EUROPARC Federation.

In the organization’s 78 years of existence, only three Spanish nationals have been elected to the Council. Currently, the new Council boasts more than 50% women (the highest in the Union’s history).

Sonia Castañeda: “Being a member of the IUCN Council involves making decisions during the four years between Congresses and Assemblies. Issues related to policies and projects, the organization’s governance, and financial and budgetary matters are addressed. I think it’s important that the Western European region is represented by people from the Mediterranean and, in the case of Spain, also from the Atlantic. This allows all perspectives and realities to be considered in a Council of such an international nature.”

This call for tenders is issued within the scope of the Interreg Euro-MED MPA4Change project (Euro-MED0200736) – Enhancing Marine Protected Areas as Nature Based Solutions for adaptation to climate change: from local actions to Mediterranean basin strategy.

For the purposes of this tender, acting on behalf of the project partners, the contracting authority for this Invitation to Tender is the EUROPARC Federation.

Procurement – External service contract for the provision of Communication Services

EUROPARC Federation is looking to engage with a consultant with proven experience in supporting communications in an international context.

Above all, the project requires a consultant who is innovative, solution-oriented and able to implement the actions described in this invitation to tender. Previous experience of delivering similar work as an external service contractor within the scope of an EU funded project is required: those bidding for this contract should be able to demonstrate familiarity with EU funded project terms and conditions especially in relation to publicity.

Additionally, the consultant must count with strong writing and editing skills in English, be able to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines and be familiar with the operation of specific tools and programmes, as indicated in the inviation to tender, for: website content management, email marketing, design and videomaking. Knowledge on marine conservation, climate change and/or environmental topics will be an asset.

The contract for which this invitation to tender is launched has a total duration of aproximately four months, with the implementation of activities expected to start on 11 September 2025 and finalising on 31 December 2025. Additionally, the consultant should remain available for a period of three months after the finalisation of the contract to provide any clarification needed about the actions performed in order to support the reporting of the work to the Interreg Euro-MED programme.

Bidders are asked to outline their budget proposal – the VAT amount and rate must be stated separately on bids. Bids must be submitted by 23:59h CEST on 05 September 2025 in English, setting out how the consultant will deliver the contract effectively and efficiently and demonstrate relevant technical knowledge, skills and experience.

Bids must be submitted in the required format and received by 23:59h CEST on 05 September 2025.

A complete description of the offer and contract specifications can be found in the Invitation to Tender document (below):

For further information, please contact Fernando Pinillos, EUROPARC Federation´s MPA4Change Project Manager: fernando.pinillos@…

Register to the new Training programme on climate change adaptation in Marine Protected Areas. An opportunity for Marine Protected Area (MPAs) and support experts to learn different tools and protocols to increase the effectiveness and resilience of their MPAs. Join us to face the climate emergency!

On February 24, through an online seminar organized by WWF, members of the MPA4Change project (Interreg Euro-MED) announced the launch of their Training programme on climate change adaptation in Marine Protected Areas.

On March 24, MPA4Change opened its new Training programme on climate change adaptation in Marine Protected Areas, a capacity building opportunity aiming to empower MPA managers to achieve a more effective management and increased resilience of Mediterranean MPAs.

Get ready to face the climate emergency!

Raising sea temperatures originated by climate change can lead to mass mortality of sensitive species like this coral (Cladocora cespitosa) at Brijuni National Park – Photo by Petar Kruzic

The Training programme on climate change adaptation in Marine Protected Areas is intended for MPA managers, external experts and organizations supporting them. It is delivered in English with partial translation of some contents into French and Arabic languages.

The programme is offered in both a Hybrid format, which includes the completion of online modules followed by a practical face-to-face workshop to consolidate the lessons learned for a limited number of participants, and a strictly Online format limited to the revision of online materials.

During the training, participants will learn how to use protocols for assessing the effects of climate change on marine ecosystems, both by specialized personnel and through citizen science initiatives, methodologies for quantifying vulnerability to change, developing adaptation plans, and how to implement participatory processes, among others. These tools are organized into different modules and will be progressively available through the year.

Open now – Monitoring Protocols module

The first module made available is on Monitoring Protocols, a specialised training tailored made for the Mediterranean basin that will provide participants with validated protocols to assess climate change impacts in marine ecosystems.

“Registration for the Hybrid training on Monitoring Protocols module is now open until April 4th!”

These protocols are intended to assess different ecological parameters and indicators of climate change effects, including changes in sea temperature, mortality of sensitive species like gorgonians, changes in populations dynamics of fish, sea urchins, fan shells etc… They also include a range of methodologies such as interviews to key actors, deployment of sensors and loggers and underwater surveys through SCUBA diving both by specialised personnel and citizen science initiatives.

MPA4Change Monitoring Protocols

For more information and registrations, please visit the dedicated webpage Training on climate change adaptation in Marine Prortected Areas at MPAChange website.

This call for tenders is issued within the scope of the Interreg Euro-MED MPA4Change project (Euro-MED0200736) – Enhancing Marine Protected Areas as Nature Based Solutions for adaptation to climate change: from local actions to Mediterranean basin strategy.

For the purposes of this tender, acting on behalf of the project partners, the contracting authority for this Invitation to Tender is the EUROPARC Federation.

Procurement – External service contract for the implementation of Policy and Advocacy services

The contracting authority is looking to engage with an experienced consultancy/ expert on policy & advocacy that: is familiar with key marine conservation and climate change adaptation policies at global, EU and Mediterranean level and able to liaise with key stakeholders and representatives of governments and organisations to induce policy changes.

Additionally, the consultancy/expert should be able to represent the MPA4Change project interests at key events, facilitate workshops/training sessions, collaborate in building alliances with other groups, organisations and networks. It is imperative that the consultancy/expert is available and willing to travel during the whole contract implementation.

The contract for which this invitation to tender is launched has a total duration of eight months, with the implementation of activities starting on 22 April 2025 and finalising on 21 December 2025, with an additionally period of 3 months of availability to provide information about the actions performed. 

Bidders are asked to outline their budget proposal. The VAT amount and rate must be stated separately on bids submitted. Bids must be submitted in English and set out how they will deliver the contract effectively and efficiently and demonstrate relevant technical knowledge, skills and experience.

Above all, the project requires a contractor who is innovative, solution-oriented and able to think with partners in order to implement the actions described in this invitation to tender. Previous experience of delivering similar work as an external service contractor within the scope of an EU funded project would be an advantage: those bidding for this contract should be able to demonstrate familiarity with EU funded project terms and conditions especially in relation to publicity.

Bids must be submitted in the required format and received by 23.59 on 07 April 2024.

For further information, please contact Fernando Pinillos – MPA4change Project Manager: fernando.pinillos@…