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Become an MPA manager for a day! - A roleplaying game to be co-developed by BLUE4ALL

Embark on an exhilarating journey as you step into the shoes of a Marine Protected Area (MPA) manager in this playful workshop. Feel the thrill of navigating the challenges managers face, negotiating with diverse stakeholders, and making critical decisions for biodiversity conservation and sustainable marine resource utilisation. This immersive roleplay game promises to foster a deep understanding of their crucial role in achieving environmental goals. Get ready for an exciting adventure that combines education with strategic thinking, as you tackle the complexities of coastal conservation and community livelihoods.

As part of the 2024 UN Ocean Conference to be held in Barcelona between April 10-12th, the Mini MPA Symposium is being organised by different partners involved in ocean conservation, including SUBMARINER Network representing BLUE4ALL and many other projects. The registration to participating in such event is now open through the QR below. 

As part of the symposium, "Become an MPA Manager!" will open the two day event with a dynamic and immersive roleplay game designed to educate and engage participants in the vital role of Marine Protected Area managers in achieving biodiversity conservation and restoration, sustainable marine resource utilization, and the enhancement of coastal community livelihoods. Participants will be divided into teams. The game unfolds in stages, presenting new challenges that MPA managers commonly face such as negotiating with different actors, making decisions about multi-use, co-management strategies, restoration plans, integration of MSP and more.

Participants will have access to resources & examples of projects dealing with these types of scenarios, and they must collaborate to make decisions that balance conservation and sustainable development. The game encourages creative problem-solving, negotiation, collaboration, and strategic thinking.

The organisers of this workshop are the WIN-BIGMSP4BIO, ULTFARMSUNITED and BLUE4ALL projects. Among the case studies of these, plus our facilitators, we cover all European sea basins. Furthermore, the methodology of the game is easy to adapt to any coastal area context in the EU and beyond.

Register here.