Neptune

NEPTUNE (Underwater Natural and Cultural Heritage and Sustainable Management of Recreational Diving) is a project that is part of the Italy-France Maritime Cross-border Cooperation Program 2014-2020.
The project aims at creating a cross-border network of pilot underwater sites of high natural and cultural interest, managed and enjoyed in a sustainable manner. The general objective is to improve quality and quantity and to innovate management of recreational diving, to ensure it is sustainable and integrated into the cross-border area.

NEPTUNE project leader is Consorzio di Gestione dell’Area Marina Protetta di Portofino and its partners are Regione Liguria, Regione Sardegna, Parco Nazionale dell’Arcipelago Toscano, Parc National de Port-Cros, la Région Sud Provence – Alpes – Côte d’Azur and Centre de Découverte Mer et Montagne.

One of NEPTUNE ‘s main objectives is the application of common cross-border systems, for a sustainable management of underwater heritage, by raising awareness among managers and users on the natural and cultural value of the cross-border underwater heritage.

Collaborating across borders will allow us to:

• Learn from each other. Opportunities and critical issues related to natural and cultural heritage management are similar in the Mediterranean regions.
• Address common challenges. Climate change, marine water quality, protection of endangered habitats/species: these are just a few of the major challenges we should tackle together.
• Favour greater accessibility. Increasing awareness on underwater heritage is a prerequisite for its protection: the added value of the project is to enjoy sustainable underwater diving, also through the use of new technologies.

The main achievements of NEPTUNE include:

• Neptune’s final products are only available in Italian and French (official project languages)