The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation and Plantlife International are beginning a new project to further the conservation of wild plants and their habitats in the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean. The project ‘Conserving wild plants and habitats for people in the South and East Mediterranean (IPA-Med)' was launched at the kick-off workshop held in Montenegro in October.

This project represents an ambitious initiative to develop save wild plants in the South and East of the Mediterranean region combining the experience and ...

After two years of work, the geoportal on natural resources and biodiversity in the Alboran Sea is now available online in three languages. The development of this geoportal was one of the activities carried out within the POCTEFEX-ALBORÁN project, which aimed to facilitate experience sharing among stakeholders so as to identify and harmonize the priorities for improving the governance of natural resources in the Alboran Sea.

Over the last two years, the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation has been coordinating the expert group assessing the status of Mediterranean anthozoans. After intensive data gathering, monitoring and analysis the experts have concluded that around 45 per cent of species are Data Deficient, that is, there is insufficient information to assess their risk of extinction. The preliminary results of the evaluation also indicate that approximately 11 per cent of the species assessed are threatened with extinction according to The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM.

A multi-stakeholder network associated with the Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism (MEET) project this week unveiled a new web platform (www.meetnetwork.org) where protected area managers and tourism operators can exchange information and share experiences and expertise, with a view to fostering the development of sustainable ecotourism activities in Mediterranean protected areas.

IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature, and the Network of Marine Protected Area Managers in the Mediterranean (MedPAN) signed a new memorandum of understanding on 18 November 2014, with the aim of enhancing coordination in scientific research related to ecosystem services, sustainable development and reduction of poverty in the region.

The Third Biennial Conference on Cetacean Conservation in South Mediterranean Countries took place in Jounieh (Lebanon) from 21 to 23 October 2014, and gathered about 50 participants from Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria as well as international and regional organizations. The event was organized with the support and collaboration of the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA, MAP-UNEP), the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation, and the Lebanese National Centre for Marine Sciences (CNRS).

Out of the 167 freshwater Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) identified, mapped and validated throughout the Mediterranean region, 75 per cent were found to lie outside the boundaries of any existing protected areas or other KBAs, according to the main results of an IUCN assessment revealed at the IUCN World Parks Congress held in Sydney, Australia (12-19 November 2014).

The Network of Mediterranean Marine Protected Area Managers (MedPAN), in collaboration with the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA), organized its annual regional experience-sharing workshop in Tirana (Albania) from 25 to 27 November 2014.

This year the workshop addressed monitoring practices for Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), and brought together MPA managers, scientists, fishery workers, ministry representatives, NGOs and other organizations from all over the Mediterranean and Europe.

The managers of the Marine Protected Area of Penisola del Sinis-Isola di Mal di Ventre (Italy) have participated in the test phase for a catalogue of ecotourism packages in Mediterranean protected areas, as part of the EU-funded Mediterranean Experience of Ecotourism (MEET) project.

For two and a half days (11-14 October 2014), a group of tourists tested the activities planned by the enthusiastic young team from the Cultour Cooperative in Cabras, who hoped to make environmental tourism in Sardinia a more exciting and sustainable alternative to the mass tourism along the Mediterranean coastline.

Conserving the planet's most valuable natural places and promoting nature's solutions to global challenges was the focus of the IUCN World Parks Congress 2014 held from 12 to 19 November in Sydney, Australia. Most Mediterranean countries were present with more than 100 participants from governmental and non-governmental organisations, international and scientific institutions, universities as well as park managers.

IUCN Council admitted 17 new Members during its 84th meeting held in Sydney in November. Four of them are from Mediterranean countries (Italy, Lebanon, Palestine and Spain). The new Members are being informed of their admission by the regional Membership Focal Points and the news has been announced via the Union Portal and website.