Tag Archive for: Mediterranean
Deep-sea Atlas of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea
The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) and the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research present the Deep-sea Atlas of the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. Funded by the MAVA Foundation, the Atlas is the first collective work to compile the existing knowledge about the deepest waters of the Eastern Mediterranean, focusing on the “hidden” biodiversity that it hosts and main threats. The report covers five sub-regions: the Eastern Ionian, the North and South Aegean, the Libyan and the Levantine Sea.
This publication has contributions of more than 48 experts and aims to become a useful tool to support spatial and natural resource planning efforts and to contribute to the sustainable development of blue economy.
By combining information from other reports, expeditions, data on deep-sea bycatch and experimental fishing catches, as well as underwater videos, this new publication provides a general overview of the morphological and geological features, as well as data on the existing biodiversity and habitats, in particular benthic and pelagic communities. Over 46 seamounts and banks ridges, as well as the major marine canyons have been identified and described in this document. These areas can play a key role as hotspots of biodiversity, greatly affecting the productivity of offshore ecosystems and the distribution of pelagic top predators. In addition, potential sites of Essential Fish Habitats for five deep-water commercially exploited species have been identified.
“Although human has been related to the marine environment since the first steps of its evolution, our knowledge on the deep sea is extremely limited, and although great strides have been made in the last decades, the information has been very fragmented and covering just small snapshots” explains Chryssi Mytilineou, researcher of the Institute of Marine Biological Resources and Inland Waters of the Hellenic Centre for Marine Research. “The Atlas is the first step in concentrating our knowledge and identifying areas in the Eastern Mediterranean that we may need to protect”.
This report presents a first assessment of our knowledge about the vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems and has allowed to identify signs of high benthic biodiversity and other potential sites of conservation interest, that could require the establishment of binding protection areas or other effective conservation management measures.
“In the Eastern Mediterranean, enforcing the existing network of Marine Protected Areas requires increasing their coherence, connectivity and representativeness”, explains María del Mar Otero, Marine Biodiversity and Blue Economy manager at IUCN-Med. “Further designation of MPAs and Fishery Restricted Areas will be key to protect these vulnerable biodiversity hotspots, together with other measures to protect migratory and endangered fauna at open sea”.
The report also provided specific recommendations of potential measures to address some of the more pressing human activities that are presently or potentially impacting the vulnerable deep-sea ecosystems of the Eastern Mediterranean. Among these pressures are the significant concentrations of macroplastics identified in deep-sea areas, particularly near highly urbanised gulfs and submarine canyons.
New project to combat marine litter in the Mediterranean Sea lunched by Media Advisory_UfM and University of Siena
The COVID-19 pandemic has worsened the situation of marine litter in the Mediterranean as the use of single-use plastics such as gloves and masks has increased, threatening to stall and even reverse the progress achieved. Single plastic accounts for up to 50% of beach litter.
The new project “Plastic Busters: Fostering knowledge transfer to tackle marine litter in the Mediterranean by integrating Ecosystem-based management into coastal zone management” is led by the University of Siena and will facilitate the efforts of decision makers in effectively dealing with marine litter and achieve a good environmental status in the Mediterranean. The project will be implemented in Greece, Italy, Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon, Spain, and Tunisia over the next 2 years with a budget of over €1 Million. It is co-funded by the European Union under the ENI CBC Med programme.
The main actions of the project are: implementation of national hands-on training activities and an e-course on marine litter monitoring, assessment, prevention and mitigation; 4 pilot campaigns on marine litter monitoring and assessment; 4 demos showcasing marine litter prevention and mitigation measures; creation of a coastal cities network and a roadmap of policy priorities for a litter-free Mediterranean.
The new project is part of the UfM-supported Plastic Busters regional initiative, kick-started in 2013 to tackle the issue of plastic waste in the Mediterranean by addressing its entire management cycle.
The press conference will focus on the need to promote and mainstream the results of completed marine litter related projects and will provide a collective reflection on future challenges and opportunities for effective action towards enhanced environmental protection.
The conference will be online on 26th January at 4pm CEST.
The conference will be in English.
Speakers will be:
- Maria Cristina Fossi – Professor at the University of Siena and Plastic Busters Director
- Francesco Frati – Rector of the University of Sienna
- Thomais Vlachogianni – Programme/Policy Officer at the Mediterranean Information Office for the Environment, Culture and Sustainable Development (MIO-ECSDE/ Greece)
- Sana Ben Ismail – National Institute of Marine Sciences and Technologies, Tunisian partner of the project.
All the project’s partners will be present.
Registration to attend the event onsite must be done via the following email: silvia.casini@unisi.it
This e-mail must include the following information: Full name, Media organisation and position, Email address and mobile phone number.
Mediterranean Solutions at IUCN Congress
Under the leadership of the MAVA foundation, the organisations ACCOBAMS, Conservatoire du Littoral, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, MedPAN, MedWet, The MedFund, Tour du Valat, UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC, UNEP/MAP-Plan Bleu and WWF Mediterranean gather at the IUCN Congress to present the current challenges, accomplishments, new initiatives and collaborative work which are taking place in the Mediterranean region.
Each of these organisations harnesses different skills, operational structures and approaches. However, they all share the same goal: to kickstart a nature-based recovery across the Mediterranean, and get on course for a sustainable, equitable future that balances economic growth and the health of the natural world.
Two seminal reports published in 2020, The State of the Environment and Development (SoED) report, and the First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR 1) on climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean basin, shed light on the impacts of the triple crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution on the Mediterranean.
During the 6 days, the sessions at the Mediterranean stand explore solutions to the key environmental issues in the region, including Nature-based solutions, inclusive processes to support inclusivity and effective and equitable governance, as well as an analysis of the current funding landscape.
This is the first hybrid IUCN Congress in-person and virtual environmental event since the pandemic began, the Mediterranean stand will provide streaming service for most of the live events scheduled by this innovative collaboration.
ALL EVENTS WILL BE LIVE-STREAMED through this link:
https://virtualmeeting.leni.fr/UICN21/A28/indexSuite.php
For further details read here
or IUCN World Conservation Congress website
Download the brochure here
For further enquiries, please contact Arantxa Cendoya at arantxa.cendoya@iucn.org
Call for applications: 3rd Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards
The French Agency for Ecological Transition (ADEME), in partnership with the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and Plan Bleu, launches the 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards.
The Mediterranean basin is the second-most impacted area by climate change after the Arctic as shown in the recent MedECC (Mediterranean Experts on Climate and Environmental Change) report.
Adapting to climate change is a priority for this particularly vulnerable area.
Cities and rural communities across the Mediterranean must therefore work to create stable social, economic and environmental conditions so that the region is better able to deal with the impact of extreme weather and events linked to climate change.
The 3rd edition of the Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards is an opportunity to raise awareness of the urgent need to take action and the importance of working together to create inspiring and innovative solutions that can be used throughout the region.
A competition to encourage territories to adapt to climate change
The Mediterranean Climate Change Adaptation Awards identify and mobilise the key players involved in implementing projects to adapt to climate change from coastal, urban and rural territories across the Mediterranean. The aim is to reward exemplary and replicable practices in order to encourage other parts of the region to take action to adapt to the challenges presented by climate change.
Previous editions of the Awards have celebrated more than 50 projects from across 15 Mediterranean countries, such as the coastal management plan designed by the County of Šibenik-Knin in Croatia, the work of the Union of Municipalities of the District of Bint Jbeil in Lebanon and many more.
Here are key competition dates:
- 20th January 2021 Competition start date
- 15th April 2021 Competition end date
- June 2021 Award Ceremony
The Award Ceremony will take place during the European Climate Change Adaptation Conference (ECCA) in Brussels.
For further information: www.medadapt-awards.com
MedArtSal, sustainable management of artisanal salinas in the Mediterranean
Ready, set, go! MedArtSal kick is a project to promote sustainable management of artisanal salinas in the Mediterranean. The eight partners of the project MedArtSal – sustainable management model for Mediterranean Artisanal Salinas are gathering in Rome, on 18 January, for the kick off meeting of this initiative funded by the European Programme ENI CBC MED 2014-2020 with a total budget of € 3.2 million and an EU contribution of € 2.9 million (90%).
Artisanal salinas across the Mediterranean are today facing many pressures due to profound socio- economic changes that have affected productive activities. The MedArtSal project that is being launched in Rome, aims to promote the multifunctional use of the artisanal salinas to diversify socioeconomic activity generating revenues in terms of good quality salt production, but also by obtaining other products that can be commercialized, or by exploring their potential for tourism, while respecting the natural values of the sites. The project will address common challenges for artisanal salinas in four Mediterranean countries (Italy, Spain, Lebanon and Tunisia), with 10 pilot actions for the development of new products/services in selected salinas and 2 demonstration projects on the diversification of salinas products (i.e. food and cosmetics) and services (i.e. HO.RE.CA) carried out in La Esperanza, Cádiz (Spain) and Sidi Al-Hani (Tunisia).
«Investing in artisanal salinas means preserving our cultural heritage and landscape, local development and biodiversity. The final aim is to develop a sustainable and adaptable management model fostering the territorial valorisation of artisanal salinas in the Mediterranean region» says Gaetano Zarlenga, General Manager at University Consortium for Industrial and Managerial Economics, (CUEIM), Italy. The main beneficiaries of this project will be artisanal salinas and salt producers, small and medium enterprises around these sites and local communities from the Mediterranean region.
The project has a duration of 3 years and is led by CUEIM – University Consortium for Industrial and Managerial Economics (Italy) and involves the following partners: Association for the Development of Rural Capacities (Lebanon), Fair Trade Lebanon (Lebanon), IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (Spain), Mediterranean Sea and Coast Foundation (Italy), Saida Society (Tunisia), University of Cádiz (Spain), and Tuniso-Italian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Tunisia).
Contacts
Lourdes Lázaro, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (Lourdes.lazaro@iucn.org)
Nature as a solution to respond to climate change challenges
Researchers, practitioners and policy makers from the Mediterranean region and the European Union met to discuss the benefits and challenges of implementing Nature Based Solutions (NbS). From 22 to 24 January, 2019, the city of Marseille hosted the workshop entitled “Implementation of Nature-based Solutions(NbS) to Tackle Climate Change: Focus on the Mediterranean Region”. The event provided attendees with an opportunity to identify new collaborations while sharing European and Mediterranean best practices and challenges related to NbS. It also provided policy-makers with increased awareness regarding the importance of healthy ecosystems for effective adaptation to climate change. Organized by Plan Bleu, IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, the IUCN French Committee, Conservatoire du Littoral, Tour du Valat, MedWet and Wetlands International, the workshop bring together a diverse group of more than 100 participants from the Mediterranean region and the European Union, including researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, local authorities, civil society, and NGOs. Participants had a chance to share and discuss their perspectives regarding opportunities and challenges related to implementation of Nature-based Solutions.
Mediterranean societies are currently facing a wide range of challenges stemming from unsustainable urbanization and impacts on health, including degradation and loss of biodiversity, lack of clean air, water and soil, and climate change impacts which are resulting in an alarming increase of natural disasters. However, through actions that restore natural or modified ecosystems, nature itself can provide adaptive solutions that address societal challenges. These nature-based solutions offer sustainable, economical, versatile and flexible alternatives to the more traditional civil engineering developments or technologies. They can also help create new jobs and stimulate growth, all while protecting or enhancing biodiversity. For more information visit the website.
Hopes for Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries
Good news in the Mediterranean and Black Sea: according to new FAO-GFCM report, for the first time over the past years, the pressure has reduced raising hopes for fisheries. The percentage of overexploited fish stocks decreased by 10%- from 88 percent in 2014 to 78%in 2016. More efforts are needed, however, to ensure long-term fish stock sustainability, warns The State of Mediterranean and Black Sea Fisheries.
This means more support for the small-scale fishing sector, which employs most fishers and causes least environmental damage; reducing bycatch and discards; and introducing more drastic measures such as significantly reducing fishing or establishing fisheries restricted areas (areas where fishing activities are regulated).
The latter is particularly needed to safeguard the most heavily fished species, such as European hake, which is fished nearly six times beyond its sustainable level.
“Fisheries provide the region with an important socio-economic balance and are essential to ending hunger and poverty,” said Abdellah Srour, GFCM Executive Secretary.
“Sustainability may be expensive in the short term, but there is nothing more expensive than running out of fish,” said Miguel Bernal, FAO Fishery Officer and one of the report’s coordinators.
Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries are under threat in the long run because of the effects of increased pollution from human activities, habitat degradation, the introduction of non-indigenous species, overfishing and the impacts of climate-driven changes.
Across, the region, the ranking of capture fisheries production in 2014-2016 continues to be dominated by Turkey (321 800 tonnes and 26 percent of total landings compared to 31 percent in 2013), followed by Italy (185 300 tonnes and 16 percent, similar to the 2013 percentage). Algeria (96 300 tonnes and 8 percent) and Greece (65 700 tonnes and 5 percent) also maintain the same (2013) percentages in landing contribution. Both Tunisia (185 300 tonnes) and Croatia (74 400 tonnes) show an increase compared to 2013 (from 7 to 9 percent for Tunisia and from 3 to 6 percent for Croatia). Total landings for Spain (78 200 tonnes) decreased from 8.5 percent to 7 percent of the total).
Among subregions, the Black Sea continues to provide the largest contribution to capture fisheries production, with a 32 percent of the total, followed by the western Mediterranean (22 percent of total), the Adriatic Sea (16 percent), and the central and eastern Mediterranean (15 percent each).
Some sectors generate more discards than others – trawling, for example, accounts for over 40 percent in some areas, whilst small-scale fisheries tend to be below 10 percent.
According to the report, incidental catches of vulnerable species are relatively rare events but are important because the species caught are of conservation concern. Among the vulnerable species most affected by incidental catches, are sea turtles (which appear in 8 out 10 of reports on incidental catches) followed by sharks, rays, and skates (appearing in 2 out of 10 reports on incidental catches each). Seabirds and marine mammals represent the lowest number of incidental catches, and are only occasionally included on incidental catches reports.
The report was launched on the occasion of the first GFCM Forum on Fisheries Science (Fish Forum 2018) organized at the FAO headquarters from 10th to 14th December 2018, as a recognition of the instrumental role of science in improving knowledge towards sustainable fisheries management.
Microplastics and circular economy, the challanges of the Mediterranean media
Two days and five sessions of work were held with scientists and journalists to discuss the energy transition of the Mediterranean region, the circular economy and combatting plastic pollution. The program has been completed with two sessions dedicated to initiatives and tools for the journalistic profession, and to debating and exchanging experiences between professionals.
Around 50 environmental journalists and scientists from 20 countries in the Mediterranean basin, researchers, experts, NGOs, and international institutions attended the 3rd Meeting of Environmental Journalists of Mediterranean News Agencies, held at the UfM headquarters, in Barcelona, Spain (13th and 14th Novamber).
The event has been promoted by the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in collaboration with the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN) and EFEverde of the EFE Agency.
As part of the activities, journalists, scientists and experts paid a visit to the Switchmed Connect’s exhibition on “The Circular Economy in the Mediterranean region”. The exhibition showcased impactful stories from the SwitchMed programme, an initiative that supports and connects stakeholders to scale-up social and eco innovations in the Mediterranean.
“Our ocean plays such a critical role in our economy, and the Mediterranean is both a tourism and conservation hotspot filled with rich biodiversity. We cannot afford to continue turning our ocean into a vast, contaminated plastic soup”, highlighted Antonio Troya, director of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation.
“The Mediterranean is one of the most vulnerable regions in the world to the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. Promoting a collective response from the countries of the region to these challenges is at the heart of the Union for the Mediterranean’s mandate”, said Jorge Borrego, UfM Senior Deputy Secretary-General for Energy and Climate Action. George Penintaex, Secretary General of the Alliance of Mediterranean News Agencies (AMAN) and Arturo Larena, Director of EFE Verde at the EFE News Agency, also addressed the audience at the opening session.
The leit motiv across all the work sessions was that of plastics and microplastics in the sea, the tip of an iceberg that everyone sees and whose consequences are easily understood even by the general public.
The challenge of the energy transition, focusing on the role of renewable resources and energy efficiency, also for its social consequences, was the theme of the first and second round table discussions. Among the best practices presented: the Plastic Buster project that analyzes how waste affects marine life, the film A plastic Ocean. On the subject of microplastics Marie-Aude Sevin, IUCN expert on the marine program dedicated to plastics presented the site marplasticcs.org in which are gathered resources, best practices, events and other useful information on the topic of microplastics. Lucile Courtial of the Prince Albert Foundation in Monaco presented Beyond Plastic Med, a network of stakeholders connected with the objective of collecting data and giving concrete and sustainable solutions to the problem of marine pollution.
The meeting was also an opportunity to compare policy-makers, consumers and the plastics industry and to present useful initiatives and tools for disseminators and journalists on the issues of pollution and science. For example, Patrick Wegerdt of the European Commission DG Environment pointed out that we are moving towards a 100% recyclable plastic and that 50% of waste at sea is made up of disposable plastic objects. The video “Are you eating plastic for dinner?” can be an interesting example of how plastic negatively affects our lives and our health. How to build a society without plastic? From this provocative question Jesus Iglesisas (Ecopreneurs for the Climate) started to explain how the problem of plastic is above all social “the alternatives exist – he said – but we must start from a radical change of habits” in which the key words are inclusion, cooperation, sustainability. The climateinnovation.city site presents events, actors and workers in this direction.
This initiative wants to establish a network of communicators and journalists, a meeting point where to exchange opinions and discussions. In addition, this event facilitates direct access to important sources of environmental information in both scientific and political areas, as well as aspects of management.
The two previous meetings in Málaga (2015) and Marrakech (2016) enabled the consolidation of this network of communicators, and resulted in several important outcomes including; the publication titled “A journalist’s guide on environmental information”, the launch of the MAP Ecology section as part of the Moroccan News Agency, and the creation of the online platform medgreenjournalism.net to foster networking of environmental journalists across the Mediterranean.
A plastic-free Mediterranean Sea in the making
Mediterranean Members of Parliament and key stakeholders discuss the state of play and realistic steps forward (Brussels, November 21st, European Parliament).
Most Mediterranean countries, on both shores, are at a moment when Parliaments are deciding on measures to curb the use of single use plastics and mainly plastic bags. Are the most informed decisions being made? What should the next steps be?
The root causes of marine litter in the Mediterranean are the same as anywhere else in the world: a complex combination of production and consumption patterns, irresponsible behavior of individuals and economic sectors, lack of policy and legislative frameworks, weak solid waste management practices, misconceptions related to possible solutions, fragmented understanding of the problem due to the lack of fit-for-purpose data.
Large amounts of plastic waste leak into the marine environment from sources on land and at sea, generating significant environmental and economic damage. They are estimated to account for over 80% of marine litter. Single-use plastic items are a major component of the plastic leakage and are among the items most commonly found on beaches, representing some 50% of the marine litter found.
Being one of the most affected seas by marine litter worldwide, Mediterranean decision makers are gradually reacting. Understanding and knowledge of the problem has been substantially enhanced in the past few years, with several studies shedding light on the amounts, distribution, sources and impacts. As a result, bold moves are taking shape on the EU side driven by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and measures and pilot actions are advancing in the non-EU countries under the Regional Plan for Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean of the Barcelona Convention.
The Searica Intergroup together with the informal Circle of Mediterranean Parliamentarians for Sustainable Development (COMPSUD) and the contribution of other key actors is exploring through this meeting realistic options on how to effectively curb plastic pollution in the Mediterranean region.
Program
16:30 – 16:45 Welcome remarks by Ms Gesine MEISSNER, MEP, President of the European Parliament Intergroup Seas, Rivers, Islands and Coastal Areas (Searica)
16:45 – 17:10 Outlining the marine litter challenge in the Mediterranean.
Mapping certainties and uncertainties: a prerequisite for better decision-making.
Dr. Thomie Vlachogianni, Marine Litter expert, MIO-ECSDE
Keeping litter on land
Prof. Moh Rejdali, Chairman of COMPSUD, Member of the Moroccan Parliament
Promising measures and lessons learned from the implementation of the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean
Mr. Gaetano Leone, UN Environment MAP Coordinator
Putting the plastics challenge at the heart of EuroMed policy and actions
Ms Alessandra Sensi, Head of Sector, Environment and Blue Economy, Union for the Mediterranean Secretariat
17:10 – 18:00 Panel Discussion, incl. Q&A: Doing the right thing and doing it right: where are the difficulties?
Introduced and moderated by Mrs. Estaras Ferragut, MEP, Board Member of the Intergroup – Mediterranean
Prof. Michael Scoullos, MIO-ECSDE Chairman & Team Leader of the EU SWIM-H2020 Support Mechanism
Mr. Michel SPONAR, Deputy Head of Unit, Directorate General for the Environment, European Commission
Plastic Producers or Plastic Recyclers/Converters
MP (South)
MP (EU)
18:00 – 18:50 Panel Discussion, incl. Q&A: What are the next steps forward? Introduced and moderated by Mr. Davor Skrlec, MEP
Ms Francoise Bonnet, Association of Cities and Regions for Sustainable Resource Management
Fisheries Association/Aquaculture
Mr. Fouad Makhzoumi, MP, Lebanon
Tourism sector
MP
18:50 – 19:00 Conclusions
A MEP and Prof. Scoullos