Green Light Protocol

A protocol to support the nature restoration movement

In response to the urgent global need to restore degraded ecosystems, the Mediterranean Alliance for Wetlands has developed the Green Light Protocol. A method to facilitate and accelerate international cooperation to initiate new wetland restoration projects in the Mediterranean.

The protocol aims to create a dialogue between stakeholders, scientists and architects to co-create the first concept for a restoration project, using landscape architects’ drawings as a tool to facilitate stakeholder consultation, engagement and the construction of a common vision.

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Involving different stakeholder perspectives through participatory visioning can help to create a shared vision (i.e. a common set of key variables, functions and performance criteria set in time) and empower the partners, providing the basis for effective restoration projects.

The Tour du Valat Foundation coordinates the protocol and assigns a team of experts (a restoration expert, graphic designers, landscape architect and filmmakers) to the selected NGO to help develop the restoration strategy, plan and communication materials.

The secretariat of the alliance currently formed by the Tour du Valat, Wetlands International European Association and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation will support a further communication and fundraising campaign to reach out to donors and inform them of the opportunity to restore the site.

From 2023 to 2026, the protocol will be tested in 6 Mediterranean sites. The Green Lights for Göçke Bay in Türkiye, (led by Mediterranean Conservation Society) and the Dar Fatma peatlands in Tunisia (led by WWF North Africa) are the first two sites where the protocol has been applied. MAW’s Steering Committee (SC) has selected the Vrina freshwater marshes, located in Butrint National Park in Albania, as the 3rd site under the Green Light Protocol. As the fourth site selected under the Green Light Protocol, Carska Bara wetlands in Serbia was chosen for its significant ecological and cultural value.

For more information, read the articles below.

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Green Light Protocol

Green Light for Göçke coastal wetland

Green Light in Dar Fatma Tunisia