THE ECOSYSTEM APPROCH IN THE MEDITERRANEAN

On the occasion of the two World Days dedicated respectively to the Environment and Oceans, which took place on 5 and 8 June 2021 respectively, UNEP / MAP has drawn up several articles in order to mark these two events in the Mediterranean Region. The 2021 edition of World Environment Day has been marked by the formal launch of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration 2021 – 2030 while the one of World Oceans Day has celebrated the theme “The Ocean: Life and Livelihoods”. These two themes are intertwined, especially in the Mediterranean context, because ecosystem restoration, that have suffered degradation or destruction, and conservation of these latter are essentiel to preserving marine life and livelihoods.

The Ecosystem Approach refers to an overarching principle embedded in the work of the UNEP/MAP-Barcelona Convention system but also to a visionary roadmap of "a healthy Mediterranean with marine and coastal ecosystems that are productive and biologically diverse for the benefit of present and future generations".

As part of the Ecosystem Approach roadmap, the Contracting Parties have adopted eleven Ecological Objectives that address key elements of the Mediterranean marine and coastal environment. These objectives constitute the backbone of a harmonized regional system that allows UNEP/MAP and the Contracting Parties to take the pulse of Mediterranean ecosystems: the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme of the Mediterranean Sea and Coast and Related Assessment Criteria (IMAP).

Introduced by UNEP/MAP and adopted by the Contracting Parties in 2016, IMAP has transformed the way in which monitoring and assessment of the status of the marine and coastal environment are conducted. Components of UNEP/MAP support Mediterranean countries in this endeavor by providing technical expertise and capacity building, but also by delivering pilote projects in order to bolster at national level command of monitoring and assessment tools and methods .

UNEP/MAP and the Contracting Parties are building together the monitoring and assessment infrastructure needed for evidence-based ecosystem restoration in the Mediterranean. The Coordinating Unit of UNEP/MAP is currently implementing three EU-funded projects seeking to remove hurdles to the full implementation of IMAP for the benefit of the entire region: EcAp MED III, IMAP-MPA and Marine Litter MED.

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