- The Mediterranean is home to more than 17,000 marine species.
- Between 20-30% of species are endemic (highest rate of endemism globally).
- There are 1,233 Marine Protected Areas and other effective area-based conservation measures: coverage exceeds 8.9% of the Mediterranean Sea, but only 10% implement proper management plans. Only 0.04% of the surface of the Mediterranean is covered by no-go, no-take or no-fishing zones.
- More than 1,000 non-indigenous marine species have been recorded and 618 species are considered established.
- Coralligenous ecosystems (crucial for climate resilience and maintenance of fisheries) cover approximately 2,760 square kilometers. They are threatened by destructive fishing gear, boat anchoring, invasive species, pollution, and climate change.
- Around 70% of habitat loss of Posidonia oceanica is projected by 2050 with a potential for functional extinction by 2100 (IPCC, 2019).
- From 1950-2011, the Mediterranean lost 41% of top predators, including marine mammals. Projections suggest that more than 30 endemic species will become extinct by the end of the century.
- 75% of Mediterranean and Black Sea stocks (for which validated assessments are available) are fished at biologically unsustainable levels (SoMFi 2020)
- Sea turtles (89%) and elasmobranchs (8%) are the groups of vulnerable species with the highest percentages of reported incidental catch from 2000 to 2020. Seabirds and marine mammals, together, represent around 4% of the total (SoMFi 2020).
- Overall, there are 39 SPAMIs among the 1,233 Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and other area-based conservation measures located in the Mediterranean
Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs)
SPAMIs are areas of multidimensional value: ecological, cultural, scientific, and their management is intended to be a model for other Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean, while demonstrating how the efficient management of an MPA could lead to a range of benefits to societies and economies.
SoED 2020
The normative framework
The Barcelona Convention Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol) entered into force in 1999. It is the Mediterranean region’s main instrument for the implementation of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity. The UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity (SPA/RAC), assists Mediterranean countries in implementing the SPA/BD Protocol mainly through the Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean Region (SAP BIO), which provides a logical framework for the conservation of the Mediterranean marine and coastal biodiversity.
The Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its SPA/BD Protocol have adopted nine action plans and a regional work programme on marine protected areas
- Action Plan for the management of the Monk Seal in the Mediterranean
- Action Plan for the conservation of Mediterranean marine turtles
- Action Plan for the conservation of cetaceans in the Mediterranean Sea
- Action Plan for the conservation of marine vegetation in the Mediterranean Sea
- Action Plan for the conservation of bird species listed in Annex II of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas (SPAs) and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean
- Action Plan for the conservation of cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichtyans) in the Mediterranean Sea
- Action Plan concerning species introduction and invasive species in the Mediterranean Sea
- Action Plan for the conservation of the coralligenous and other calcareous bio-concretions in the Mediterranean Sea
- Action Plan for the conservation of habitats and species associated with seamounts, underwater caves and canyons, aphotic hard beds and chemo-synthetic phenomena in the Mediterranean Sea
The GEF-funded MedProgramme
The MedProgramme is comprised of eight child projects, including Child Project 2.1 (GEF ID 9687): Mediterranean Coastal Zones: Water Security, Climate Resilience and Habitat Protection, and Child Project 3.1 (GEF ID 10158): Management Support and Expansion of Marine Protected Areas in Libya. More than 100 coordinated actions will be deployed at regional and national levels in ten beneficiary countries over the five-year duration of the project (2020-2024).
Projects related to biodiversity conservation and Specially Protected Areas
The project "Towards achieving the Good Environmental Status of the Mediterranean Sea and coast through an ecologically representative and efficiently managed and monitored network of Marine Protected Areas (IMAP-MPA)" is funded by the European Union (EU). It contributes to the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Mediterranean Sea and Coast in seven beneficiary countries, namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
Learn more about IMAP-MPA and other projects implemented by the MAP system
March 2021
