In response to the Covid-19 Pandemic the MarPAMM project team had to alter how they were going to inform, communicate, and engage with key stakeholders. This involved the transfer of in person workshops and events to online technical workshops and engagement.

These workshops aimed to share knowledge of best practice around managing MPAs, increasing connectivity of MPAs and a range of issues relating to coastal processes. An example of these workshops can be seen in the online Steering group meetings operated on a frequent basis with representatives and stakeholders from MarPAMM Irish Regions, the Murlough SAC and Carlingford SPA. These online steering group meetings gave the MarPAMM team the opportunity to share project updates and progress, while also consulting stakeholders about what they felt needed to be included as the project continued. Minutes of each meeting were then provided for those who couldn’t be in attendance to make the knowledge sharing as inclusive as possible.

In addition to online steering group meetings with stakeholder there was a range of social outputs produced by the MarPAMM team. The most recent being the Surf the Wave campaign which encourages the public to share their own experiences along the island of Ireland coast. As everyone uses and experiences the coastline differently, this campaign aims to gather these stories that can contribute to better understanding of coastal areas and MPAs. This campaign was just one of many regular updates on MarPAMM social media accounts.

You can share these experiences at our Twitter page or follow for more on: @MarPAMM_project Facebook: MarPAMM Irish and MarPAMM Irish Marine Area – MarPAMM (mpa-management.eu)

Another online engagement tool that the MarPAMM project has begun to circulate is an online newsletter distributed on a monthly basis to stakeholders. This newsletter gives stakeholders the opportunity to keep up to date with developments in the project across all MarPAMM Irish regions. As MPAs require effective collaboration across regions, the newsletter provides useful insights into the objectives, aims and concerns of each of the regional steering groups. In addition to project updates, the newsletter keeps stakeholders informed about upcoming dates and relevant publications from MarPAMM colleagues across various disciplines.

These examples mentioned above are just a number of online engagement tools that the MarPAMM Irish Regions project have implemented to ensure effective engagement for the project. These engagement tools work to create an environment between stakeholders and MarPAMM project staff to ensure the success of the MPAs and the overall improved management of our coastal areas.