Athens, 2 September 2022—The Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) welcomes the decision of the Albanian authorities (dated 29 July 2022) to declare the Porto-Palermo Bay a "Nature Park". The protected area in Porto-Palermo Bay comprises marine and coastal landscapes and covers a total area of 1,694.98 hectares including 1,490.4 hectares of protected marine area. The site encompasses a "core zone", a "traditional use and sustainable development zone" and a "recreational zone". The core zone, which represents a remarkable 25 per cent, is subject to the highest level of protection with strict measures aimed at preserving biodiversity. This is a major achievement in the Mediterranean where “no-take zones” represent a paltry 0.04 per cent of the total basin area.
Porto-Palermo Bay thus becomes the second declared marine protected area in Albania. The protection measures it will host constitute an important contribution to the Mediterranean-specific conservation targets set out in the Post-2020 Strategic Action Programme for the conservation of biodiversity and sustainable management of natural resources in the Mediterranean region (Post-2020 SAPBIO) and the Post-2020 Regional Strategy for marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in the Mediterranean, two landmark instruments adopted at COP 22 of the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its Protocols, which was held on 7-10 December 2021, in Antalya, Türkiye.
“Porto-Palermo Bay is a unique site in Albania and is home to threatened species included in Annex II of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity to the Barcelona Convention,” said Khalil Attia, Director of SPA/RAC, the Regional Activity Centre of UNEP/MAP specializing in the protection of marine and coastal biodiversity.
Marine threatened species that will receive protection in Porto-Palermo Bay include the Mediterranean endemic seagrass Posidonia oceanica, the Loggerhead Sea Turtle Caretta caretta, the noble pen shell Pinna nobilis, and the common dolphin Delphinus delphis. On land, SPA/RAC experts also point to the presence of the tree spurge Euphorbia dendroides, which is considered unique in Albania, as well as forests of the Valonia oak Quercus macrolepis, considered as a relict species of the Ionian coast dating back to the Tertiary period, are also covered by the newly introduced conservation measures.
“This important step taken by the Albanian authorities brings much-needed impetus to the conservation endeavor in the region and constitutes a clear response to the commitments adopted at COP 22 of the Barcelona Convention, especially the target of protecting 30 per cent of the Mediterranean by 2030,” said Tatjana Hema, the UNEP/MAP Coordinator. “I am delighted to see that the strenuous efforts made by Albania as part of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system are bearing fruit, and look forward to further steps in this direction,” she added.
The establishment of the Porto-Palermo Bay Natural Park is the result of a participatory process that started in 2012 under the leadership of the Albanian Ministry of Environment and the National Agency for Protected Areas (NAPA) and with the technical support of SPA/RAC.
SPA/RAC notably supported:
- The undertaking of an ecological study (including mapping of marine habitats, census and inventories of fish and invertebrates, and identification of priority areas for conservation), and of a socio‐economic study (covering fisheries and tourism among other sectors);
- The production of maps based on a Geographical Information System (GIS);
- The identification of stakeholder groups to secure participation in the planning phase and buy-in to the conservation efforts in Porto-Palermo Bay (this documentary film produced by SPA/RAC describes the process);
- The drawing-up of a management plan and the set-up of a sustainable financial mechanism for the Porto Palermo Bay protected area.
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the species mentioned in the press release
Information about the species is provided in the ecological study supported by SPA/RAC.
Main conservation targets adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention
By adopting the Post-2020 SAPBIO and the Post-2020 Regional Strategy for marine and coastal protected areas (MCPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in the Mediterranean at COP 22 of the Barcelona Convention, the Contracting Parties committed to achieving two important conservation targets in the Mediterranean:
- By 2030, at least 30% of the Mediterranean Sea is protected and conserved through well connected, ecologically representative and effective systems of marine and coastal protected areas and other effective area-based conservation measures, ensuring adequate geographical balance, with the focus on areas particularly important for biodiversity.
- By 2030, the number and coverage of marine and coastal protected areas with enhanced protection levels is increased, contributing to the recovery of marine ecosystems.
About the UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)/Barcelona Convention
The UNEP Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)/Barcelona Convention is a multilateral environmental agreement that provides the context in which the 21 coastal countries of the Mediterranean and the European Union cooperate for the protection of the marine and coastal environment in the context of sustainable development of the region.
About SPA/RAC
SPA/RAC, the UNEP/MAP Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre, was created in 1985 to assist the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention in implementing the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol).
