Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have proved their usefulness in the conservation of the marine environment and in restoring degraded habitats and depleted species populations. Their role in the economic and social development and in ensuring sustainable livelihood sources is being increasingly recognised.

In the Mediterranean, RAC/SPA, as the GFCM and ACCOBAMS are regional organisations that have among their mandates the development of MPAs and other spatial based management measures to achieve several objectives of their programmes and strategies.

Considering their respective roles and prerogatives regarding MPAs, these Regional Organisations engaged a collaboration process aimed at promoting the exchange of information and experiences and ensuring a high level of harmonisation of their relevant programmes. In this context, they agreed to organise in 2015 a joint meeting to which they will convene experts and representatives of their focal points and contact organisations in the Mediterranean countries to:

• assess the progress made so far in developing MPAs in the Mediterranean
• take stock of the available knowledge about the Mediterranean marine areas of special conservation interest because of their importance for biodiversity conservation, especially regarding cetacean critical habitats, and the sustainability of fisheries and
• investigate options for further harmonising the processes for the establishment of SPAMIs.

The joint meeting on protection of marine areas in the Mediterranean and Black Sea was helt in Tunisia (Gammarth, RAMADA Plaza Hotel) from 9 to 12 June 2015.
The meeting included the following events:

• the RAC/SPA SPAMI Conference,
• the 2^nd GFCM Working group on MPAs, and
• the ACCOBAMS workshop on the effectiveness of MPAs containing critical habitats for cetaceans.

The RAC/SPA SPAMI Conference was organised in the framework of Medkeyhabitats project, which aims at mapping of key marine habitats in the Mediterranean and promoting their conservation through the establishment of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI).

Given the importance of this joint meeting, the Network of Marine Protected Area Managers in the Mediterranean (MedPAN) decided to hold its Annual Advisory Committee meeting in conjunction with the joint meeting. A wide range of MPA specialists (scientists, MPA managers, administration officers, etc.) attended the event which offers a positive step forward inter-organisation collaboration regarding Mediterranean MPAs.

Contacts

• Mr. Atef OUERGHI, programme officer at RAC/SPA

Meeting documents

• Information note
• GFCM Extranet - Meeting documents and presentations (access credentials can be requested to the GFCM Secretariat)