Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas Go On-line


In the 21 countries around the shores of the Mediterranean, there are 75 marine protected areas and thirty or so projected sites. Maps, case studies and more can now be accessed through the directory of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas from the newly launched MedPan website.

MedPan, the network of managers of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean, aims to facilitate exchanges in order to improve the efficiency their management. The MedPAN network seeks to improve the capacity of managers around the Mediterranean basin through the exchange of best practice and by making tools available on particular aspects of the management of marine protected areas.

The creation of marine protected areas is an effective tool for providing lasting protection, enabling restoration and careful use of natural resources. However, many Mediterranean marine protected areas do not have the necessary means of providing proper management and ensuring the implementation of effective conservation measures.

Marine Protected Areas not only protect sensitive environments and threatened species; they also contribute to increasing the productivity of fishing areas, to regulating the different uses of the sea, to fostering sustainable tourism and to creating new job-generating activities. The organisation and the regulation of different marine users, professional or recreational fishing, underwater fishing, diving, mooring, boating, scientific research, swimming, etc, are not always optimal. Often they lack qualified staff, financial and material means (boats, buoying, infrastructure etc) or even a management body.

To address this and other issues, MedPan brings together 23 partners from 11 countries around the shores of the Mediterranean, of which 14 are European (France Italy, Greece, Malta, Slovenia, Spain) and 9 from non-European countries (Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria, Croatia, Turkey). These partners manage more than 20 MPAs and are working towards the creation of several new sites. MedPan is funded by Interreg IIIC South and coordinated by WWF France.

The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation is a collaborator in the initiative. The IUCN-Med Marine Programme is supporting countries in the South and East Mediterranean to survey significant marine resources, understand socio-economic conditions of the site and develop appropriate management/governance structures for new and existing MPAs.

For more information, please contact:
Catherine Piante, MedPAN Project Coordinator (cpiante@wwf.fr)
Ameer Abdulla, IUCN-Med Marine Programme Specialist, (ameer.abdulla@iucn.org)

Links:
www.medpan.org
www.iucn.org/places/medoffice/en/en_mar_prtcarea.html