The Freshwater Biodiversity Unit of IUCN Species Programme and the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, with the support of the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), organised a workshop to discuss and validate Freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in the South-Eastern Mediterranean. The workshop was held in Azraq Wetland Reserve (Jordan) from 2 to 6 December 2013, and a dozen of experts from various Mediterranean countries gathered for the occasion.

The goal of this workshop was to validate and create awareness of proposed sites as identified through the regional freshwater biodiversity assessments previously completed for Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and Israel. This is the third stakeholder KBA's workshop organized as part of the initiatives "Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment and Conservation Priorities for the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot" and "Mediterranean Biodiversity Assessment II" which are funded by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund, MAVA Foundation, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), BioFresh consortium (EU FP7 project) and FREDIE initiative (Freshwater Diversity Identification for Europe). The other two workshops took place in Bosnia and Herzegovina (for the Balkan region KBAs) and in Morocco (for North African KBAs) to identify priority sites in those regions.

The results will provide the foundation for creation of a representative protected area network for freshwater species, and will also provide information on important sites for freshwater biodiversity for decision makers involved in the conservation and sustainable management of freshwater biodiversity in the Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot.

For further info: Violeta Barrios

Picture: Ceriagrion georgifreyi (Turkish Red Damsel). Vulnerable according to the IUCN Red List
(c) Roy Woodward