MEDITERRANEAN COAST DAY

Together we can do better!

For thirteen years now the 25^th of September has been the day when we celebrate: we celebrate our coast and sea, their great beauty, their great value for all of us, citizens of the Mediterranean.

For thirteen years now, the 25^th of September has been a day when we meet to engage and to invigorate the dialogue on the theme of sustainability, to convey the message to decision-makers, professionals, civil society (especially young people) that our Mediterranean is unique and precious, and that it is time to radically change our modes of living, managing and consuming its resources.

The “Mediterranean Coast Day” celebration is an occasion to be positive, to share good practices, to inform and raise awareness, to inspire to do more.

Over the past years, the annual celebrations of the “Mediterranean Coast Day” have become a privileged moment that has grown from a rather modest event to an important regional event with a central regional celebration organised every year in a different country and accompanied by national or local events organised by countries, regions or cities that feel the need to raise the coastal issues higher in their agendas.

Unfortunately, this year it is not possible to meet in person due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Still, we do not want to miss the opportunity to mark this day with all available virtual means and remind once again of all the problems that await our prompt action.

In collaboration  with the UN Environment/MAP Programme, the Mediterranean States – Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention – have adopted a whole set of strategic and policy instruments to protect their coasts and our common sea. The responsibility for strategic thinking is on governments but in the Barcelona Convention we strongly believe that the role of civil society is crucial if we want to change negative trends: civil society has the obligation to demand action but must also be responsible for its own acting and behaving, and this in everyday life too.

The objective of the awareness-raising campaigns such as the “Mediterranean  Coast Day” is exactly that: to reach as large a number of people as possible because a well-informed, highly aware and ready-to-act society is the best guarantee that things can change for better.

I wish a happy Coast Day to all of us!

The Istanbul Environment Friendly City award for Mediterranean Coastal Cities

The Istanbul Environment Friendly City award for Mediterranean Coastal Cities

In the context of the Convention for the protection of the Mediterranean Sea from the risks of pollution namely the Barcelona Convention, the legal and operational instrument of the United Nations Action Plan for the Mediterranean (MAP), the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award, launched in 2016, is today in its third edition.

Funded by the Government of Turkey, the Istanbul Environment Friendly City Award was created in the framework of the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD) to recognize and reward the efforts of local authorities to improve the environment and the quality of life and promote sustainable development in the Mediterranean coastal cities

The goals of this initiative are:

• Encourage local authorities to move towards a more environmentally friendly future;
• Allow local authorities to act as a model to inspire other cities;
• Raise public awareness about the quality of the environment and therefore the quality of life in their cities and the importance of urban issues for sustainable development.

Small and metropolitan cities located along the Mediterranean coast can participate by demonstrating concrete actions in line with the priorities of the Mediterranean Action Plan and the principles enshrined in the Barcelona Convention and its protocols namely:

A - Protection of nature and biodiversity

B - Built environment

C - Social, economic and cultural sustainability

D - Politics and Governance

Information on previous edition is available at the following link: https://www.unenvironment.org/unepmap/news/news/cop21-celebrates-achievements-winner-istanbul-environment-friendly-city-award

Mediterranean coastal cities and local authorities will be invited to submit their applications to the third edition of the Award from Friday 25 September until Monday 25 January 2021. Click here to apply

The Mediterranean continues to be a beautiful destination for millions of beachgoers and holidaymakers despite the rising pressure it has been subjected to for decades. The onset of environmental degradation is surreptitious, and Mare Nostrum has so far managed to hide the scars, but to the trained eye they are plain to see. The plight of coastal and marine fauna and flora is cause for alarm. But the most visible symptom is marine litter.

It is estimated that half a billion human-made items are lying on the seafloor. Many popular sandy beaches are strewn with single-use plastics such as lids, cutlery and cigarette butts that seem to have become a ghastly surrogate for the cherished seashells.

The semi-closed basin that constitutes a major transit route for the global shipping industry is plagued by marine litter. The stuff, mainly plastic, comes chiefly from from land-based sources. In fact, the region features one of the highest amounts of municipal solid waste: between 208 and 760 kg per year per person. The region is home to an estimated 510 million people of which 70 per cent are coast dwellers.

The Mediterranean Coast Day, which we mark on 25 September, is an opportunity to take stock of what the UNEP/MAP—Barcelona Convention system has achieved in its efforts to protect the coastal zones of the Mediterranean. 

Our Regional Activity Centre PAP/RAC supports the Contracting Parties in the implementation of the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM), an important legal instrument that provides for safeguards and regulations to keep unbridled urban development at bay, to decouple economic development from coastal degradation and to bolster resilience to climate change.

In 2013 the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention—21 Mediterranean countries and the European Union— adopted the Regional Plan on Marine Litter Management that includes an ambitious target: 20% reduction in litter by 2024. Preliminary results recently indicated a reduction of 39 per cent in beach marine litter relative to the baseline values agreed in 2016, but that was before the COVID-19 tsunami caught everyone off-guard.

The still-unfolding pandemic has caused a remarkable surge in the use of disposable face masks, gloves and other types of personal protective equipment mostly made of plastic. We still don’t know the full extent of the impact on the environment, but recurrent sightings of floating masks and gloves are not a good sign.  The plastic pandemic predates the COVID-19 one. It stems from the ill-conceived ways in which we produce and consume the goods that our modern lifestyles make us dependent on.

The Regional Action Plan on Sustainable Consumption and Production carries sustainability targets in four priority sectors, namely fisheries and agriculture; food processing; manufacturing; tourism and housing. But more needs to be done to ensure that successful pilots be scaled up and turned into robust systems that can underpin green economies.

If invested smartly, the stimulus packages that are being mobilized by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols can fast-track the transition to sustainable consumption and production. Mediterranean countries stand at a historic juncture. Decisions on which sectors financial flows will pour into and whether greener options will be prioritized over the unsustainable business-as-usual will shape our collective future in the region.

As decision-makers ponder this historic moment, the public has an important role to play. Thanks to the rise of mobile broadband, today’s “Mediterraneans” are better informed and more organized than any other generation. Simple purchasing decisions taken at the supermarket and online clicks matter greatly. Businesses spend vast amounts to understand their customers’ preferences in order to tailor products and services accordingly. Observation shows that sustainable options will rise on the market if there is demand for it.

In recent years we have seen bans on single-use plastic bags become law. Several Mediterranean countries have introduced stewardship schemes based on awareness-raising and behavioral change with the aim of reducing and preventing single-use plastic items. Referred to as “Adopt-a-beach”, the schemes promote active community engagement with the participation of civil society organizations. This is the kind of momentum that Coast Day aims to generate in the region.

This year we will be marking Mediterranean Coast Day under the exceptional circumstances imposed by COVID-19. We will be launching a digital campaign and we want you to be part of it. Here are five simple steps you can follow to join:

• Visit the Coast Day 2020 page and learn more about the pressing issues affecting the Mediterranean Sea and Coast.
  
• Translate and share information in your local network with the #CoastDay #Act4Med hashtag.
  
• Download the Coast Day logo, sew it into your reusable face mask or use it to brand an online discussion with your friends and colleagues.
  
• Download the UNEP/MAP SeaWatcher App (powered by INFO/RAC) on your mobile device and report marine litter you stumble upon on the Mediterranean coast.
  
• If you can ensure that social distancing rules are strictly met, organize a beach cleaning campaign and send us the photos.

The Mediterranean needs you. If you put a seashell to your ear, you will hear it calling.

Erosion

A significant portion of Mediterranean beaches experience severe erosion, threatening coastal settlements, communication lines, and cultural and natural sites. Land-use changes, including abandonment of traditional villages and activities on the slopes, followed by reforestation, combined with reducing soil erosion are the main driving factors triggering coastal erosion in the last century on the northern shore. In addition, infrastructure, in particular roads and highways, commonly built along the coastline, often prevent sediment material from reaching the shores. Additional factors include dam construction, river bed quarrying and land reclamation.

Absolute sea-level rise has been a minor factor in beach erosion during the last century along the Mediterranean coast, but the acceleration of this process will gradually make it the main contributor

Climate change

The IPCC AR5 considers the Mediterranean Region as “highly vulnerable to climate change” due to the influence of multiple stressors and projected associated “systemic failures” through the exacerbation of the already existing vulnerabilities, including a high coastal urbanization and a limited adaptive capacity of coastal countries, especially those in the South and East Mediterranean.

With close to 20 million people living at less than five meters (5 m) above sea level within the 100 km Mediterranean coastal belt, exposure to the coastal risk of flooding and erosion is a major challenge.

Water

The proportion of the Mediterranean population using safely managed sanitation services has increased in most countries, but objectives are still far from being reached. In the past decade, access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene has increased from 58% (2005) to 65% (2015) of the population using safely managed sanitation services. Yet, more than 160 million people do not use safely managed sanitation services.

Urban encroachment

The population of the Mediterranean riparian states amounts to approximately 514 million people in 2018, representing 6.8% of the world population. In the Mediterranean countries, one out of three persons lives in a Mediterranean coastal region. The share of the coastal population ranges from 5% in Slovenia to 100% in island countries (Cyprus, Malta) and Monaco.

Article 8 of the Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) of the Barcelona Convention stipulates that Contracting Parties shall establish a zone of at least 100 m in width where construction is prohibited. However, the built-up area within the first 150 m wide belt along the coastline is above 20% in almost half of the Mediterranean countries (2015).

Coastal wetland degradation

Areas of coastal wetlands continue decreasing. The Mediterranean basin hosts 19-26 million hectares of wetlands, and according to a broad sample of 400 Mediterranean wetland sites, about 48% of natural wetland habitats have been lost between 1970 and 2013. The surface area of natural coastal wetlands, such as wet meadows and marshes, has decreased by more than 10% over the past decades.

The figure below shows wetlands (black and red dots shown in the map) of international importance for aquatic birds, which host more than 20,000 aquatic birds and more than 1% of the species population of the Mediterranean flyway (based on mid-January counts carried out during the 1991-2012 period). The sites indicated by red dots are located less than 30 km away from the coast.

Solid waste

The amount of solid waste averages 370 kg per capita per year (about 1 kg per capita per day) with differences between North Mediterranean Countries (from 1.1 to 1.7 kg per capita per day) and South and East Mediterranean Countries (from 0.5 to 1.1 kg kg). In the northern Mediterranean countries, the recycling rate is above 13% and reaches 46% in Slovenia. In the southern shore, Egypt has the highest recycling rate (12.5%). A relatively high share of waste is discharged on open dumpsites or ones unaccounted for, representing potential leakage into the environment and eventually ending up as marine litter.

Wastewater

In the Mediterranean, municipal wastewater consists of a mixture of domestic wastewater and industrial wastewater. The discharge of untreated municipal wastewater in coastal areas or rivers flowing into the Mediterranean Sea remains a major environmental issue in most ENP‑South countries. Municipal wastewater carries high loads of nutrients, pathogens and microorganisms posing direct or indirect risks to human health and well‑being. In cities with intense industrial activity, municipal wastewater discharged directly into public sewerage systems generally contains a variety of chemical wastes: total dissolved solids, organic compounds, pesticides and metals. These substances are of particular concern due to their toxicity and their resistance to conventional wastewater treatment methods. In coastal communities and other touristic areas, seasonal variations can be particularly pronounced due to higher consumption related to tourist activity. Of the total quantity of water supplied to the communities, around 70 % to 80 % reaches the sewerage system, while the rest is infiltrated into the ground, due to irrigation of gardens, for instance. The provision of wastewater treatment varies across the region, but in many cases treatment plants are often absent or do not function optimally (Environmental Benefits Report, 2011). Recently, a number of inventories of municipal wastewater treatment facilities in Mediterranean countries have been published (MAP Technical Report Series No157, 2004; UNEP/MAP, 2011; UNEP(DEPI)/MED WG.357/Inf.7). These studies provide information on the population served by WWTPs, the degree of the treatment provided, quantities of wastewater produced and disposal alternatives.

Unsustainable tourism

Tourism is one of the most important economic sectors in the Mediterranean region, bringing high economic value, particularly for countries with limited industrial or agricultural development.  That comes at a price: tourism is also major consumer of natural resources:

• water – an extremely scarce resource in many coastal areas;
• food – sometimes causing pressure on the local production, leading to overfishing;
• electricity needed for cooling/heating facilities – making tourism a massive consumer of energy.

Predominantly unsustainable models of coastal tourism can exert pressure on ecosystems, especially in the vicinity of sensitive natural areas. Pressure can take several forms and varying degrees of intensity:  

• marine litter
• coastal land take
• habitat degradation
• emissions of pollutants by vessels
• water consumption and sewage generation