Mediterranean Basin Biodiversity Hotspot
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Ecosystem Profile MEDITERRANEAN BASIN BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOT 2010 Prepared by: Doğa Derneği on behalf of BirdLife International in collaboration with: Association “Les Amis des Oiseaux,” BirdLife Global Secretariat, BirdLife International Middle East Division, IUCN, Plantlife International, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, Sociedad Española de Ornitología, Sociedade Portuguesa Para O Estudo Das Aves, The Cirrus Group, Tour du Valat and with the technical support of: Conservation International Africa and Madagascar Division Drafted by the ecosystem profiling team: Abdulmalak, Dania; Al Khader, Ibrahim; Al Jbour, Sharif; Arcos, José Manuel; Ataol, Murat; Azafzaf, Hichem; Balkız, Özge; Costa, Luis; Criado, Juan; Eken, Güven; Feltrup-Azafzaf, Claudia; Foxall, Jack; Galewski, Thomas; García-Tapia, Gerardo; Grillas, Patrick; Grimmett, Richard; İsfendiyaroğlu, Süreyya; Jalbert, Jean; Knowles, Tony; Knox, David H.; Kurt, Bahtiyar; Leitão, Domingos; Lise, Yıldıray; May, Ian; Pienaar, Eugene; Radford, Elizabeth; Ramirez, Ivan; Regato, Pedro; Tavares, Jose; and Viada, Carlota Assisted by experts and contributors from the following institutions: Al Quds University, Palestinian Territories IUCN Mediterranean Islands Plant Specialist Alfateh University, Libya Group Algerian General Directorate of Forests Jordan University of Science and Technology, American University of Beirut, Lebanon Jordan Association Biom, Croatia Lebanese University, Lebanon Biosfera 1, Cape Verde Lega Italiana Protezione Uccelli, Italy BirdLife Cyprus Libyan Environment General Authority BirdLife Malta Ligue pour la Protection des Oiseaux, BirdLife BirdLife Slovenia - DOPPS partner in France Burfield, Ian Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Turkey Center for Protection and Research of Birds of Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Montenegro Administration, Albania Centre for Middle Eastern Plants, UK Ministry of Spatial Planning and Environmental Conservatoire du Littoral, France Protection, Montenegro Croatian State Institute for Nature Protection Montenegro National Institute for the Protection Croatian Ministry of Culture of Nature Cuttelod, Annabelle National Agronomic Institute, Tunisia Diava Consulting, Albania Nature Conservation Egypt, BirdLife partner in Direcção-Geral de Ambiente, Cape Verde Egypt Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency Plan Bleu European Commission, DG Environment Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Forest Research Center, Morocco Areas Greek Biotope Wetland Centre Regional Environmental Center Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, Hellenic Ornithological Society, Greece Jordan Interuniversity Research Center, “Biodiversity, Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, UK plant sociology and landscape ecology,” Rubicon Foundation Sapienza, University of Rome, Italy Save Foundation Instituto Nazionale per la Fauna Selvatica, Italy SEO/BirdLife Program Morocco Instituto Nacional de Investigação e Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon Desenvolvimento Agrário, Cape Verde Ss. Cyril and Methodius University, FYROM Istanbul University, Turkey Syrian Ministry of Environmental Affairs IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation Syrian Society for Conservation of Wildlife ii Tanta University, Egypt University of Primorska, Slovenia TEMA Foundation, Turkey University of Reading, UK The Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative University of Sciences and Technology, Algeria The Royal Society for the Conservation of University of Venice, Italy Nature, UK University of Zagreb, Croatia Tunisian National Environmental Protection Vulture Conservation Foundation Agency Wetlands International Université de Béjaïa, Algeria WWF Mediterranean Program Office Université Hassen II Casablanca, Morocco WWF Mediterranean Program Morocco Office Université Mohammed V Agdal Institut WWF Tunisia Office Scientifique, Morocco WWF Turkey Office Université Mouay Ismail Meknes, Morocco University of Jordan, Jordan University of Montenegro, Montenegro This profile was produced with the financial and technical support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and MAVA Fondation pour la Nature iii CONTENTS Executive Summary ……………………………………………….…….………………………...v Introduction………………………………….…………………………………………………….1 Background…………………………………….……………………….………………………….3 Biological Importance of the Hotspot…………………………………..………………………....4 Conservation Outcomes ……………………………..……………………………………………10 Socioeconomic, Policy and Civil Society Context………………………..…….………………..33 Climate Change Assessment…………………………….....………………….………………….67 Threat Assessment..........................................................................................................................75 Assessment of Current Investments…………………………….....………….………………….99 CEPF Niche for Investment in the Region…………………………......……………………….116 CEPF Investment Strategy and Program Focus…………………………......…………………..125 Sustainability…………………………………………………………………......……………..155 Conclusion………………………………………………………………………......…………..156 Logical Framework……………………………………………………….………….....……….157 References………………………………………………………………….…………….....…...160 Appendices………………………………………………………………….……………….......167 iv EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Humanity depends on Earth’s ecosystems and their life-sustaining benefits, such as provision of clean air, supply of fresh water and delivery of healthy soils. Founded in 2000, the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) has become a global leader in enabling civil society to participate in and influence the conservation of some of the world’s most critical ecosystems. CEPF is a joint initiative of l'Agence Française de Développement (AFD), Conservation International, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Government of Japan, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and the World Bank. As one of the founders, Conservation International administers the global program through a CEPF Secretariat. CEPF provides grants for nongovernmental and other private organizations to protect biodiversity hotspots, Earth’s most biologically rich and threatened areas. The convergence of critical areas for conservation with millions of people who are impoverished and highly dependent on healthy ecosystems is more evident in the hotspots than anywhere else. CEPF is unique among funding mechanisms in that it focuses on high-priority biological areas rather than political boundaries and examines conservation threats on a landscape scale. From this perspective, CEPF seeks to identify and support a regional, rather than a national, approach to achieving conservation outcomes and engages a wide range of public and private institutions to address conservation needs through coordinated regional efforts. The Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot is the second largest hotspot in the world and the largest of the world’s five Mediterranean-climate regions. The hotspot covers more than 2 million square kilometers and stretches west to east from Portugal to Jordan and north to south from northern Italy to Cape Verde. The Mediterranean Basin is the third richest hotspot in the world in terms of its plant diversity (Mittermeier et al. 2004). Approximately 30,000 plant species occur, and more than 13,000 species are found nowhere else, or endemic, to the hotspot; yet, many more are being discovered every year (Plantlife International 2010, unpublished report). Rivaling the natural diversity in the hotspot, the cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic diversity of the region is spectacular. The region contains some of the world’s first and greatest civilizations, the world’s oldest sovereign state and its first constitutional republic with San Marino dating back to 301 A.D. Many of the ecosystems reached an equilibrium long ago with human activity dominating the landscapes. However, this delicate balance is in a precarious state as many local communities depend on remaining habitats for fresh water, food and a variety of other ecosystem services. CEPF investment in the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot is essential to stem the threats, balance economic development with the needs of natural areas, and conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services in this vast region. The Mediterranean Basin Hotspot Ecosystem Profile was developed under the leadership of Doğa Derneği (the BirdLife partner in Turkey) thanks to CEPF investment and the generous financial and technical support of the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation and MAVA Fondation pour la Nature. Twelve organizations worked collectively for the development of the profile, due to the exceptionally large size and complexity of the region. Key organizations within the profiling team, in addition to Doğa Derneği, include Conservation International, BirdLife International and its partners in the region, Tour du Valat, IUCN and Plantlife International. The ecosystem profile presents an overview of the hotspot in terms of its biological importance in a global and regional context, potential climate change impacts, major threats to and root causes of biodiversity loss, socioeconomic context and current conservation investments. It provides a suite of measurable conservation outcomes, identifies funding gaps and opportunities for v investment, and thus identifies the niche where CEPF investment can provide the greatest incremental value. It also contains a five-year investment strategy for CEPF in the region. This investment strategy comprises a series of strategic funding opportunities, termed strategic directions, broken down into a number of investment priorities