Cooperation Agreement with the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition
The Agreement provides for a cooperation framework in support to the implementation of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP)-Barcelona Convention mandate. It has already supported a number of activities in line with key common priorities of UNEP/MAP and the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition, involving all MAP Components. Particular focus was placed on Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI), marine litter prevention and reduction, Coastal Areas Management Programmes (CAMP) and promotion of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and other relevant governance tools for Blue Growth.
UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit and the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition are jointly responsible for the implementation of the Cooperation Agreement, based on annual/biannual Work Plans, agreed by both Parties.
The activities are executed by the respective Components of UNEP/MAP, having the expertise required for each activity, under the coordination of the Secretariat.
To support cooperation on activities’ implementation, Technical Focal Points were nominated by both Parties for each Component of the Agreement.
The Agreement was signed in September 2016 and was implemented in two main phases in line with the biennial MAP Programmes of Work (September 2016 - December 2017 and January 2018 – December 2019). The Agreement is currently extended until the end of December 2020 to allow for the implementation of a limited number of activities, in line with the MAP Programme of Work 2020-2021.
The Italian Government supported financially the implementation of the Agreement with a generous contribution of approx. 2,4 million euros for activities, and additional coverage of the costs for the Post of Information and Communication Officer in the Coordinating Unit for the biennium 2018-2019.
The Agreement’s objectives included:
- Strengthening of SPAMI management through Standardized Actions for Effective Management of MPA (ISEA) including:
- Twinning Agreements between Italian and other Mediterranean MPA/SPAMIs;
- Capacity building, training and mentoring, with focus on monitoring and management;
- Establishment of a SPAMI collaborative platform;
- Involvement of civil society in MPA/SPAMI management; - Support in scientific description and identification of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) and Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs);
- Support in implementation of measures provided for in the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management in the Mediterranean, through:
- Pilot activities for prevention and reduction of marine litter from land and sea-based sources with a focus on the Adriatic area;
- Guidelines for marine litter prevention and reduction;
- Updating of baseline values and threshold values for marine litter indicators;
- Methodology for marine litter hotspot identification;
- Enhanced coordination at Regional Seas level in contribution to the implementation of the G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter; - Development of a Mediterranean Network of CAMP Projects and support in the development of Transboundary CAMPs;
- Support in development of a Common Regional Framework for Integrated Coastal Zone Management;
- Promotion of Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) at national and subregional level with a focus on the Adriatic area;
- Promotion of Blue Economy in coherence with environmental legal and policy framework.
Deliverables
- Two Workshops on the G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter in synergy with the Regional Seas Conventions;
- Publication “Proceedings of the Workshops on the Implementation of the G7 Action Plan to Combat Marine Litter in Synergy with the Regional Seas Conventions (2017–2019)”, including the Workshops’ Background Documents;
- Socioeconomic Analysis of Marine Litter Key Best Practices to Prevent/Reduce Single Use of Plastic Bags and Bottles, including factsheets on case studies and measures;
- 2018 and 2019 editions of the Mediterranean Coast Day;
- Material Flow Analyses for Quantities and Types of Food and Beverage Plastic Packaging in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro;
- Policy Report on Priority Areas of Intervention to Curb Marine Litter From Food and Beverage Plastic Packaging in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro;
- Sub-regional Adriatic sessions in Regional Meetings on Marine Litter Best Practices;
- Guidelines to Address Single-Use Plastics Through Public Procurement in the Mediterranean
- Marine litter prevention/reduction pilots in three CPs of the Adriatic area (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Montenegro) focusing on implementation of Adopt-a-beach” pilots; phasing out single use plastic bags; improvement of recycling schemes for plastic PET bottles; establishment of harmonised and IMAP-compatible inventories of related data for the marine litter IMAP common indicators; and further support of national socio-economic analyses of marine litter;
- Guidelines on port reception facilities and ship-generated wastes translated into the national languages of the Adriatic countries;
- One pilot project aiming at finding innovative solutions to reducing the amount of plastic waste generated by single-use packaging or over-packaging in the F&B sector (in Albania);
- One pilot project aiming at engaging public administrations and supporting them in reducing in-house single use of plastic;
- Updated Baseline Values and Threshold Values for IMAP Marine Litter Indicators;
- Pilots on provision of reception facilities in ports and the delivery of ship-generated wastes in port and marinas of Adriatic countries;
- Analysis on the containment of microplastics in personal care and cosmetic products produced ion and imported by three Adriatic countries;
- Marine Litter Smartphone Application;
- Methodological Approach for the Identification of Marine Litter Hotspots in the Mediterranean;
- Four MPA/SPAMI Twinning Agreements signed and implemented:
- Albania: Karaburun Sazan SPAMI & Italy: Torre Guaceto SPAMI;
- Algeria: Habibas Islands SPAMI & Italy: Tavolara – Punta Coda di Cavallo SPAMI;
- Slovenia: Strunjan Marine Protected Area & Italy: Torre del Cerrano Marine Protected Area;
- Tunisia: Kneiss Islands SPAMI & Italy: Isole Egadi Marine Protected Area. - Two trainings of SPAMI/MPA managers on standardized, adaptive management systems ISEA;
- Manual/guidelines for the redaction of standard management plan (ISEA) for MPAs/SPAMIs and ISEA conceptual model for each of the 4 SPAMIs participating in the twinning programme;
- Two pilot common actions focusing on the management of small fishing and joint assessment of fishing efforts and definition of shared monitoring protocol;
- Four activities of participatory processes aiming to involve stakeholders in the strategies and management models in the twinned MPA/SPAMIs;
- On-the-job trainings for a better SPAMI/MPAs management;
- Seven small-scale projects for the involvement of civil society in SPAMIs/MPAs activities;
- A SPAMI collaborative platform to facilitate knowledge-sharing on SPAMIs; promote exchanges and sharing of best practices between managers; provide tools to support management; promote the SPAMI list and improve its visibility;
- Draft Guidance Document with regard to Identifying and Designating Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas in relation to SPAMIs;
- Sub-regional training and regional seminar on PSSAs/EBSAs;
- Marine Litter Action Plan for one Marine Protected Area in the Adriatic;
- Comparative Analysis between UN Environment/MAP IMAP and European Commission GES Decision for Marine Litter;
- MSP pilot in one marine area in Albania implemented including: Initial MSP study and data analysis, initial assessment and GIS maps; preliminary MSP guideline for the country; and a study to identify areas within Albanian coast (particularly within MPAs) suitable for anchoring buoys;
- "Pan-Adriatic Scope: Adriatic-Ionian cooperation towards MSP", a paper aiming at establishing a common sub-regional approach for MSP implementation in the Adriatic-Ionian area;
- Draft Guidelines for Environmental Assessment in a Transboundary Context on the Procedures for Notification, Exchange of Information and Consultation Among the Mediterranean States;
- One training workshop on MSP implementation;
- Draft Feasibility Study for a Transboundary CAMP Project between Albania and Italy (Otranto Strait area);
- First Meeting on the Transboundary CAMP for the Otranto Area (Tirana, Albania, 21 June 2019);
- Blue economy in the Mediterranean: Case studies, lessons and perspectives;
- Draft analysis of the main differences between IMAP and revised GES Decision 2017/848/EU and initial assessment of integration of IMAP and related assessment criteria into the revised GES Decision 2017/848/EU;
- Comparative analysis between IMAP and revised GES Decision 2017/848/EU specifically for biodiversity and NIS, complemented by an analysis addressing interrelation of pressures-impacts and the status of marine ecosystem components;
- Set of criteria/ questionnaire for testing if a project is ICZM proof;
- Common Regional Framework for Integrated Coastal Zone Management;
- Analysis of coherence between regional documents adopted under the SPA/BD Protocol and the ICZM policy framework;
- Second Meeting of the Barcelona Convention Offshore Oil and Gas Group (OFOG) Sub-Group on Environmental Impact;
- Mediterranean Offshore Guidelines and Standards: Common Standards and Guidance on the Disposal of Oil and Oily Mixtures and the Use and Disposal of Drilling Fluids and Cuttings and Common Standards and Guidelines for Special Restrictions or Conditions for Specially Protected Areas (SPA) within the Framework of the Mediterranean Offshore Action Plan;
- Status of Implementation of the Mediterranean Offshore Action Plan and Proposed Recommendations for Further Streamlining of the Ecosystem Approach and other Regional and Global Developments;
