The Status of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea 2012 A study done by MedPAN in collaboration with the RAC/SPA RA C/SPA The designation of geographical entities in this book, and the presentation of the material, do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the MedPAN, RAC/SPA or other partner organisations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The views expressed in this publication do not necessarily reflect those of MedPAN, RAC/SPA or their partners. Printed by: MedPAN and RAC/SPA Coordination: MedPAN and RAC/SPA Copyright: © 2012 - MedPAN & RAC/SPA Reproduction of this publication for educational or other non-commercial purposes is authorized without prior permission from the copyright holder provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes is prohibited without prior written permission of the copyright holder. Citation: Gabrié C., Lagabrielle E., Bissery C., Crochelet E., Meola B., Webster C., Claudet J., Chassanite A., Marinesque S., Robert P., Goutx M., Quod C. 2012. The Status of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea. MedPAN & RAC/SPA. Ed: MedPAN Collection. 256 pp. ISBN no.: 979-10-92093-06-3 9791092093063 English translation: Kate Anderson Layout: Marie-Laure Tomasi / Studio PIKNETART.COM Cover Photo: Bonifacio Strait Nature Reserve, France © AMICLA-C. Amico / WWF-Canon Available from: MedPAN, 46 rue St Suffren, 13006 Marseille, France. Tel. : + 33 4 91 58 09 62. Website: www.medpan.org 2 COLLECTION COLLECTION The Status of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean Sea Date: 2012 Authors: Catherine Gabrié, Erwann Lagabrielle, Claire Bissery, Estelle Crochelet, Bruno Meola, Chloë Webster, Joachim Claudet, Aurore Chassanite, Sophie Marinesque, Philippe Robert, Madeleine Goutx, Caroline Quod. Erwann Lagabrielle: coordination of Chapter 4 and spatial analyses for Chapters 3 & 4 Estelle Crochelet: study of connectivity (Chapter 4) Bruno Meola and Chloë Webster - MedPAN Secretariat: supervision, coordination and revision of the report Caroline Quod: mapping of benthic sediments (Chapter 4) Claire Bissery: analysis of MPA management efficiency and statistics (Chapter 5) Joachim Claudet, Aurore Chassanite and Sophie Marinesque: study of the multidisciplinary monitoring programmes (Chapter 6 and associated recommendations) Catherine Gabrié: overall coordination and report writing, in particular of the summary and recommendations With support from: ACCOBAMS, French Marine Protected Areas Agency, Conservatoire du Littoral, GFCM, French GEF, MAVA Foundation, Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, PACA Region, IUCN Med, WWF Mediterranean Programme Office and WWF France THE STATUS OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA 2012 3 COLLECTION Publication lead MedPAN Since 1990, the MedPAN network has brought together the managers of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and has supported them in their management activities. A legally independent structure since 2008, MedPAN aims to promote the establishment, the operation and sustainability of the network of MPAs. Currently, the MedPAN association has 9 founding members, 31 members (MPA managers), 24 partners (activities related to MPA management) in 18 Mediterranean countries. > www.medpan.org RAC/SPA The Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) was established in Tunis in 1985 by decision of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention, which entrusted it with responsibility for assessing the situation of natural heritage and assisting the Mediterranean countries to implement the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol), which came into force in 1999. > www.rac-spa.org/fr 4 Technical partners ACCOBAMS The ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, Medi- terranean Sea and Contigous Atlantic Area) is a cooperative tool for the conservation of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean and Black Seas.Its purpose is to reduce threats to cetaceans in Mediterranean and Black Sea waters and improve our knowledge of these animals. > www.accobams.net Agence des Aires Marines Protégées The French Agence des Aires Marines Protégées is a public establishment of an admi- nistrative nature created by the law of 14 April 2006 and placed under the governance of the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, Transport, and Housing. It’s dedi- cated to the protection of the marine environment. The main assignments of the Agence des Aires Marines Protégées are supporting public policies for the creation and mana- gement of marine protected areas in the entirety of French maritime waters, running the MPA network, technical and financial support of natural marine parks, reinforcing French potential in international negotiations concerning the sea. > www.aires-marines.com Conservatoire du Littoral Drawing on its experience as a public body committed to the perennial protection of natural areas, seascapes and lake shores in mainland France and overseas, the Conser- vatoire du Littoral has been involved since the early 1990s in a number of international actions for global coastal conservation, especially in countries in the Mediterranean ba- sin. Since 2006, the Conservatoire has been coordinating the PIM Initiative programme whose aim is to promote and assist in the management of small Mediterranean islands. This programme is dedicated to protecting these micro-territories through the imple- mentation of concrete actions in the field, including through the promotion of exchanges and the sharing of knowledge and expertise among managers and experts from across the Mediterranean basin. > www.conservatoire-du-littoral.fr > www.initiative-pim.org GFCM The Agreement for the establishment of the General Fisheries Commission for the Me- diterranean (GFCM), under the provisions of Article XIV of the FAO constitution, was approved by the FAO Conference in 1949 and entered into force in 1952. Consisting of 23 Member countries along with the European Union, the GFCM’s objectives are to promote the development, conservation, rational management and best utilization of living marine resources, as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and connecting waters. > www.gfcm.org THE STATUS OF MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA 2012 5 COLLECTION Technical Partners IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation was inaugurated in 2000. The goal of the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation is “to influence, encourage and as- sist Mediterranean societies in achieving both the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources, and sustainable development.” The aim of the IUCN Mediterranean Marine Programme is to implement a coherent network of marine protected areas that ecologically and socially represents the Mediterranean Sea and its people. > www.iucnmed.org WWF WWF’s mission is to stop the degradation of our planet’s natural environment, and build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. Through its Mediterranean Ini- tiative, WWF has been actively involved in promoting the establishment and effective management of marine protected areas in the Mediterranean for many years. The MedPAN South Project is a collaborative project, led by WWF Mediterranean, aimed at improving the management effectiveness of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in the south and east of the Mediterranean and supporting the creation of new ones. The MedPAN North project is also a European collaborative project operating under the leadership of WWF-France. It brings together 12 key actors from 6 European countries bordering the Mediterranean. The aim of the MedPAN North project is to improve MPA management effectiveness, including in the marine Natura 2000 sites and to contribute to the establishment of a network of MPAs, as part of the international commitments, and particularly the European commitments in this area. > www.medpannorth.org > www.wwf.fr > http://mediterranean.panda.org > http://www.panda.org/msp 6 Financial contributors FGEF – French Global Environment Facility The FGEF’s objective is to support the protection of the global environment in develo- ping countries, since its creation by the French government in 1994. > www.ffem.fr MAVA Fondation Dr Luc Hoffmann established MAVA in 1994 as an expression of his long personal com- mitment to conservation. > http://fr.mava-foundation.org Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation In June 2006, HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco decided to establish his Foundation to address our planet’s alarming environmental situation. The Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation is dedicated to the protection of the environment and the promotion of sus- tainable development on a global scale. > www.fpa2.com Région PACA (Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur) The Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur Region is a French local territory that supports MedPAN network activities for several years. > www.regionpaca.fr Med Programme The MED programme is a European initiative for transnational cooperation. It supports the MedPAN North Project (MNP). > www.programmemed.eu THE STATUS OF THE MARINE PROTECTED AREAS IN THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA 2012 7 Acknowledgements The preparation of this document was made possible thanks to the contribution of a number of people: The MedPAN