Strategic direction 4 specifically addresses the conservation of plants comprising 462 (23%) threatened species in the hotspot, including 158 (44%) critically endangered species. EUROBATS Agreement on the Conservation of European Bat Populations FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.
INTRODUCTION
Tourism and the growing populations on the coastal fringes of the southern Mediterranean increase the demand for energy, water and infrastructure. Preparation of the ecosystem profile is not simply a desk study, but involves a regional participatory process so that the final outcome is owned and used by stakeholders in the region.
BACKGROUND
The workshops also provided an opportunity to gather information on stakeholders, threats and conservation measures in each area, and this information is an important part of the analysis in Chapters 7, 8 and 10. This process also benefited from the results of the final assessment of CEPF's first phase hot spot investments.
FIRST PHASE OF CEPF INVESTMENT: OVERVIEW AND LESSONS LEARNED
- Investment strategy for phase 1
- Overview of CEPF investment in phase 1 (2012-2017)
- Collaboration with CEPF donors and other funders
- Summary of impacts to date
- Lessons learned from phase 1
The main focus of CEPF's investment strategy in the Mediterranean Basin during Phase 1 was at the site level. In the first phase, the structure of the investment strategy resulted in a separation between work in protected areas (included in one strategic direction) and work in coastal areas (included in a separate strategic direction).
BIOLOGICAL IMPORTANCE OF THE HOTSPOT
- Introduction
- Geography and geology
- Climate
- Biological history
- Biogeographical zonation
- Species diversity and endemism
- Ecosystem services in the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot
The isolation of the basin is reflected in the high degree of endemism, estimated to be approximately 20% (Coll et al. 2010). This is especially true for countries south and east of the Mediterranean basin (North Africa and Middle East subregions).
CONSERVATION OUTCOMES DEFINED FOR THE HOTSPOT
Introduction
Species outcomes
A complete list of threatened and endemic species in the hotspot is presented in Annex 1. Overall, 27 butterflies in the hotspot are threatened with extinction, of which 21 are endemic to the hotspot.
Site outcomes
Since the 2010 Ecosystem Profile, there have been significant changes affecting KBA identification. In addition to the validation and update process that was carried out as part of the identification of IPA and freshwater KBAs, the draft set of KBAs was discussed at national technical workshops organized as part of the ecosystem profiling process, in which experts from the relevant organizations participated. A detailed methodology for biological prioritization of KBA using these criteria is given in Langhammer et al.
However, it does mean that identifying CBAs requires confirmed data on the presence of trigger species or ecosystems, with sufficiently precise data on species populations and ecosystem area. There is therefore a trend in the identification of CBAs towards better known groups, and towards countries where more research has been done. The lists of CBAs for other countries in the hotspot have not been revised as part of the ecosystem profiling process.
Albania, Montenegro Lower Boyana River Basin Albania, Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Greece Lake Prespa River Basin Table 5.10 List of KBAs in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The fact that KBAs are identified independently of protected areas (even if the existence of protected areas is taken into account when demarcating boundaries) means that comparing the distribution of KBAs with the distribution of protected areas is a useful way to identify gaps in the protected areas. network, and highlighting species or ecosystems that are not sufficiently protected.
Corridor outcomes
Of the 17 corridors identified in the 2010 ecosystem profile, five were modified and two were merged. The corridor also contains the southernmost cork oak forests in the hotspot, including in Maamora KBA. The corridor is located in the northern part of the historically significant Fertile Crescent, where large-scale wheat domestication and cultivation first began.
This corridor extends from the Orontes Basin in the north to the Great Rift Valley further south. The main threats acting in this corridor are residential and urban development, with many tourist facilities violating important KBAs in the corridor and illegal hunting. Wetlands in the corridor host hundreds of thousands of wintering shorebirds on the vast mudflats of the Gulf of Gabes.
Recommendations for improving the outcomes analysis
The corridor is also home to the last populations of Dorcas gazelle (Gazella dorcas, VU) and Cuvier's gazelle (EN) in Tunisia. Landscape-scale conservation is appropriate here as it can increase resilience along hard-hit coastal areas and further inland into wetland KBAs.
SOCIOECONOMIC CONTEXT OF THE HOTSPOT
- Introduction
- Context
- Key demographic trends and implications on environment
- Key economic and social trends
- Ecological footprint
In the hotspot countries covered by the ecosystem profile update, the highest population concentrations are in the coastal areas of Middle Eastern countries and parts of the North African coast. Two of the three largest countries covered by the ecosystem profile update (Algeria and Egypt) have annual population growth of around 2%. However, it is still higher than the region's share of the world's population.
The GDP growth rates of the countries covered by the ecosystem profile update have been higher than those of EU members in recent decades. Prices in the countries of the region are generally at a low, stable level. Other indicators of the relatively good performance of countries in the region include life expectancy at birth, which is around 75 years in the countries covered by the ecosystem profile update.
POLICY CONTEXT OF THE HOTSPOT
- The wider political context
- National environmental governance
- International environmental agreements
- Regional action plans and partnerships
The results for the countries included in the Ecosystem Profile Update (Table 7.1) are the average results of assessments in a number of protected areas, but are not necessarily representative of the state of the country as a whole. Eleven of the 16 countries covered in the Ecosystem Profile Update are parties to the CMS, with non-party countries and territories being Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Palestine, Lebanon and Turkey. Eight countries covered by the Ecosystem Profile Update have ratified the Convention, and a further five have acceded to or signed but not yet ratified.
All the countries covered by the ecosystem profile update are parties to the Convention except Kosovo and Palestine. UNCLOS has been ratified by 12 of the 16 countries included in the Ecosystem Profile Update, with Kosovo, Libya, Syria and Turkey not represented. The Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea Mediterranean and Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) is a binding agreement signed by nine of the hotspot countries covered by the Ecosystem Profile Update, which requires the contracting parties to take legislative and practical measures to reduce deliberate pursuit and bycatch of whales.
CIVIL SOCIETY CONTEXT OF THE HOTSPOT
- Introduction
- Overview of environmental civil society organizations
- Civil society programs and activities
- Civil society capacity
All hotspot countries in the Middle East and North Africa are members of the Arab League (formerly the League of Arab States), although Syria has been suspended since 2011. There are still only a small number of environmental NGOs in the countries covered by the League. ecosystem profile update, and even fewer are active in biodiversity issues (inventory, monitoring, protected area management and direct conservation measures). In Palestine, the Palestine Wildlife Society (BirdLife Partner in Palestine) is one of the most important conservation organizations in the areas.
Despite the small number of conservation-focused NGOs in most of the countries covered by the Ecosystem Profile Update, in several countries NGOs play an important role in the management of protected areas. During Phase 1 of the CEPF investment in the focal point, the management of 26 protected areas was strengthened with grants to civil society organizations. However, the WWF Mediterranean Program is present in the four countries covered by the Ecosystem Profile Update, Morocco, Tunisia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and coordinates work in several countries in the Mediterranean.
THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY IN THE HOTSPOT
Overview of key threats
For example, 32% of freshwater fish in the Mediterranean basin were reported to be threatened by dam construction (McAllister et al. 2001). The main sources of pollution in the Mediterranean area are sewage and wastewater from urban sources (often untreated or inadequately treated), excess pesticide and nutrient additives from agricultural and livestock activities (mainly nitrogen and phosphorus, pesticides, fungicides and herbicides from non-point sources), and veterinary drugs such as antibiotics, anti-inflammatories and antiparasitics), discharges and accidents involving heavy metals and oils from industrial facilities (including oil from marine sources that wash ashore). Irrigated surfaces in the Mediterranean countries have doubled in 40 years and reached 24 million hectares in 2007 (Castilla et al. 2013).
Extensive areas of some deltas in the Mediterranean basin have been lost to agricultural purposes (eg Evros Delta in Greece, Caorle Lagoon in Italy). This problem is particularly important in the Mediterranean where more than 5% of the marine species are now considered non-native species (Zenetos et al. 2012). In the western basin, most species are imported via maritime transport and aquaculture (Zenetos et al. 2012) (see Map 1.4).
Threats at national and local levels
For some of these species, populations now stay in the Mediterranean instead of crossing the Sahara. The importance of Mediterranean wetlands may increase in the future, especially if Sahelian wetlands continue to degrade (Blondel et al. 2010). Invasive/alien species were not prioritized (included in top five threats) in the Balkans, but were mentioned fairly regularly in the other two sub-regions.
Water management, and particularly dam building and surface water abstraction, is a more prominent concern in the Balkans than in the other two regions. In the Balkans (Figure 9.7) and Middle East subregions (Figure 9.9), the two main threats identified by participants were Use of Biological Resources and Urbanization. There was less agreement on other threats, with dams and renewable energy a much higher priority in the Balkans than the Middle East.
Drivers of biodiversity loss and barriers to conservation action
On both sides of the Mediterranean, economic growth was lower than in other comparable regions around the world (see chapter 6.4.1). Five of the 11 countries included in the Ecosystem Profile Update with available EPI values were below the median of the assessed countries (70.8). The fisheries indicator is based on fishing pressure on the coastal zone and fish stocks and confirms the importance of overexploitation of marine resources as one of the main causes of habitat loss and population decline.
Lack of awareness of the value of biodiversity and ecosystem services among decision makers and the general public. In addition to lack of knowledge, there is poor awareness and limited understanding of the ecological, economic, social and cultural values of biodiversity, the costs of its loss and its critical importance for human health and well-being among decision makers and the general public. public in the Mediterranean. In general, 'the environment' is still largely seen as a separate issue and primarily the responsibility of environmental agencies in government.
CLIMATE CHANGE ASSESSMENT
Introduction
Overview of climate change
Contribution of the Mediterranean CEPF countries to climate change
Climate change observations and projections for the Mediterranean Basin
Expected impacts on human populations and potential repercussions for ecosystems
Policy context
Developing a response
ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT CONSERVATION INVESTMENT
Introduction
Overseas development aid
International charities, trusts and foundations
Donor coordination
Innovative funding strategies
Assessment of funding and funding gaps
CEPF NICHE FOR INVESTMENT
Eligible countries
Lessons learned from the first phase
Theory of change for CEPF investment in the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot
Strategic focus for the program, 2017-2022
Background to the strategic directions
CEPF INVESTMENT STRATEGY AND PROGRAMMATIC FOCUS, 2017-2022
SUSTAINABILITY
Species Outcomes
List of KBAs including link to strategic directions
List of Catchment Management Zones
Comparison of Phase 1 results with Phase 2 plans
