Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are slices of sea and coast placed under protection and managed because of their ecological importance. Through effective management, they protect the amazing marine life of the Mediterranean, ensuring the livelihoods of fishermen, stimulating the local economy and offering tourists the opportunity to rekindle their links with nature (MedPAN, 2023).
The system of Mediterranean MPAs in 2020
Every four years, MedPAN (Network of Marine Protected Areas managers in the Mediterranean) and SPA/RAC (The Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas) conduct an assessment of where we stand with MPAs in the Mediterranean.
You can find a summary of the main results in the Poster of the System of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas in 2020. The Poster shows that in 2020:
- 8.33% of the Mediterranean Sea is under official designation of a protected statute.
- 97.33% of the total Mediterranean surface under protection statute is located in EU member countries’ water
- the cumulative surface of the no-go, no-take or no-fishing area represents only 0.04% of the Mediterranean.
- Results presented in the Poster also provide an insight into management. It shows the latest trends in data collected to assess if conditions are favorable for MPAs to ensure effective management.
Although there are significant progress in the protection of these areas, Mediterranean marine ecosystems continue to be under significant pressure. Find the main pressures and challenges here.
In order to improve the management effectiveness of Mediterranean MPAs, France, Monaco, Tunisia and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation launched in 2015 The MedFund, which received political support from riparian countries in the framework of the UNEP/MAP – Barcelona Convention system and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM).
Between 08/2021 and 12/2021, SETIN was responsible for the “Terminal Evaluation of the Long-term financial mechanism to enhance Mediterranean MPA management effectiveness” GEF Project, implemented by the Med Fund (Conservation Trust Fund, CTF, based in Monaco). The Terminal Evaluation included MPAs in Albania, Montenegro, Lebanon, Turkey, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco.
Consultancy concerning the following aspects and activities:
- Interview and meeting with institutions and stakeholders
- Analysis and evaluation of the MedFund the Strategy and Action Plan for Resource Mobilization 2021-2025, the MedFund Strategic and Financial Plan, the financial needs assessment and management effectiveness baselines respectively for 14 and 15 Marine Protected Areas, the operational guidelines (including administration, operations, reporting, and monitoring and evaluation schemes), the investment policy guidelines, the gender mainstreaming plan
- Analysis and assessment of effectiveness, efficiency, impacts, sustainability, coherence with policies
- Preparation of the Terminal Evaluation Reports
- Elaboration of recommendations and lessons learnt
References:
MedFund (2023), https://themedfund.org/en/
MedPAN (2023, https://medpan.org/fr
The System of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas in 2020, MedPAN and UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC, November 2021.