Partners representing the major marine institutes and agencies from all the Mediterranean countries met at the UNESCO/IOC (Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission) Headquarters in Paris from 11 - 13th March for the kick-off meeting of MAMA, the Mediterranean network to Assess and upgrade the Monitoring and forecasting Activity in the region. This 3-year project, funded by the Vth Framework Programme of the European Union, will stage a concerted effort between countries in the region to put in place the institutional networking and establish the basic infrastructure for the future Mediterranean Global Ocean Observing System (MedGOOS) in favour of the sustainable use of the coastal zone. MAMA focuses on the trans-national pooling of scientific and technological resources in the basin, through the sharing of experiences and the transfer of expertise, to bring capacities in operational oceanography at comparable levels, and provide an integrated effort towards the planning and design of the initial ocean observing and forecasting system in the Mediterranean. Furthermore, MAMA will interact with end-users, stakeholders and relevant international organisations, work in the whole basin to trigger local awareness on the benefits of operational oceanography and ocean forecasting with dissemination of results and demonstration products, and build momentum towards long term commitments by governments.

In the words of Patricio Bernal, Executive Director of IOC, MAMA is pioneering the implementation of GOOS by an unprecedented effort and novel approach that will put the region at the forefront of operational oceanography. The main thrust of MAMA builds on the concept of shared efforts, on co-development and co-ownership, on bringing capacities at comparable levels and on networking between all the nations in the region. MAMA is moreover preparing the ground for the region to take full advantage of the emerging funding opportunities in environmental monitoring and large marine integrated projects in Europe, with the Mediterranean being conceived as a unique test base for implementation.

The enthusiasm of the participants present at the meeting was evident. The meeting agenda was meant to fine tune the implementation of the project and details on methodology and work schedules were presented and discussed for each of the nine workpackages composing MAMA. Plenary sessions were accompanied by meetings of the Advisory Board and the Planning Team. The MAMA Full Group Committee, with representatives from members of the consortium, met in the last day of the meeting to adopt the plans of the first six months of the project.