> PROJECTS
The French Office for Biodiversity (OFB) is coordinating the integrated Life Marha project, which aims to restore and maintain the good conservation status of Europe's natural marine habitats by advancing the implementation of the 1997 European Habitats, Fauna and Flora Directive and the associated Natura 2000 policy. As such, the project mobilises all those involved in the management of the 162 Natura 2000 marine habitat sites in the waters of mainland France.
SML was commissioned to support the LIFE Marha project in preparing, running and presenting its European conference, organised in English, on sedimentary habitats in the Atlantic biogeographical region.. The conference, which took place in Lille on 22 and 23 March 2025, brought together scientists, managers of marine protected areas and representatives of public administrations to share knowledge, with the aim of advancing the conservation of these habitats through more effective management.
Our assignment involved three key phases:
- Before the conference: SML conducted a review of the scientific literature on soft habitats in order to identify emerging issues and key researchers in the field. We launched a call for papers, coordinated contact with speakers and drew up the conference programme in conjunction with the dedicated scientific committee.
- During the conference: on site, our team ensured the dynamic and rhythmic running of the sessions, as well as taking notes of the key exchanges.
- After the conference: we wrote the conference proceedings, summarising the main contributions of each session. We also provided English/French translations of the introductions, session summaries and conclusions.
Our organisational rigour, our command of institutional English and our in-depth knowledge of marine protection networks ensured the success of this event, from its conception to the promotion of its results.
