The need to increase protection for oceans is urgent, not only to fulfill international commitments, but to alleviate the increasing degradation of marine ecosystems. To this end, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Mediterranean Action Plan - United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-MAP) organised, from 7-11 April in Malaga (Spain), a Mediterranean regional workshop to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs).

The workshop was inaugurated by the UNEP/MAP Coordinator and Executive Secretary of the Barcelona Convention, Ms. Maria Luisa Silva Mejias, the General Secretary of Integrated Management of the Environment and Water from the regional Government of Andalusia, Carmen Lloret Miserach, and the Mayor of Malaga, Francisco de la Torre Prados.

The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation supported the organisation of the event in which more than 50 representatives of 20 governments in the Mediterranean, the European Commission and scientific experts from 14 international institutions were present.

In preparation for the workshop, the Parties to the Convention were invited to provide relevant scientific information to support the objectives of the workshop. A CBD repository on Mediterranean EBSAs was prepared with the information provided by Mediterranean countries and invited institutions. IUCN-Med contributed information on other areas of interest as potential EBSAs. The documents submitted can be found at:http://www.cbd.int/doc/?meeting=5362

The Mediterranean identifies 17 potential EBSAs

In 2012, the Conference of Parties of the Barcelona Convention (COP17) endorsed a preliminary Map of EBSAs, featuring 11 priority areas in the Mediterranean Sea, according to the CBD criteria. The EBSA workshop in Malaga aimed to improve and enlarge the identification and description of additional EBSAs in the region.

Participating experts identified and described 17 EBSAs in this meeting. The EBSA process is an open and continuous procedure; participants agreed on the fact that a list of areas or species that require additional research could be useful in the process. It was also highlighted that there are still some gaps to complete the process. Suggestions included the use of data on fisheries, additional information on coastal and offshore habitats, including the deep sea, and especially in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean, to assist future efforts to describe areas that meet the EBSA criteria.

For further info: Alain Jeudy