Summary
MACGENBIO addresses the challenge of managing and conserving the unique biodiversity of Macaronesia—one of the world's biological diversity hotspots—and West Africa. The project will establish a transnational network for monitoring and conserving flora and fauna using genetic data, boosting collaboration among public administrations, research centers, universities, and biotechnology companies in Madeira, the Azores, the Canary Islands, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Senegal.
For the first time on an international scale, a reference molecular library will be developed for an island region. The project will create biodiversity banks in Madeira and Cape Verde, territories that currently lack these infrastructures, and will update the existing banks in the Azores and the Canary Islands, guaranteeing their use and access for environmental management.
MACGENBIO will provide management tools for administrations to design conservation strategies adapted to each region, guide territorial planning, and assess the impact of threats such as climate change and biological invasions. Furthermore, it will strengthen institutional and social capacity for decision-making, promoting coordinated governance, public participation, and ecological resilience in Macaronesia and West Africa.
MACGENBIO will contribute to Challenges 2, 3, 6, 8, and 9 of the program, aligning with the Nature Restoration Law and the European Biodiversity Strategy.
Funding Institution
INTERREG 3/MAC/2/2.7/0229
Partners
ERDF Beneficiary Partners (Socios Beneficiarios del FEDER)
- Gobierno de Canarias (Consejería de Transición Ecológica y Energía) – Canary Islands / Spain
- Gestión y Planeamiento Territorial y Medioambiental S.A. (Gesplan) – Canary Islands / Spain
- Universidade da Madeira – Madeira / Portugal
- Universidade dos Açores – Azores / Portugal
- Agencia Estatal Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (Instituto de Productos Naturales y Agrobiología) – Canary Islands / Spain
- Cabildo de Gran Canaria (Consejería de Medio Ambiente, Clima, Energía y Conocimiento - Jardín Botánico Viera y Clavijo) – Canary Islands / Spain
- Secretaria Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática (Direção Regional do Ambiente e Ação Climática) – Azores / Portugal
- Instituto das Florestas e Conservação da Natureza, IP-RAM – Madeira / Portugal
Third-Country African Partners (Socios de Terceros Países Africanos)
- Instituto Nacional de Investigação e Desenvolvimento Agrário (INIDA) – Cape Verde
- Direcção do Ambiente e Acção Climática – São Tomé and Príncipe
- Direction des Parcs Nationaux – Senegal
Associated Participants (Participantes Asociados)
- Instituto Tecnológico y de Energías Renovables (ITER) – Spain
- Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria – Spain
- Instituto Canario de Investigaciones Agrarias (ICIA) – Spain
