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Mediterranean Action Plan: an introduction
Paul Mifsud, Coordinator, Mediterranean Action Plan
Over the years, going back to Phoenician times, the peoples
of the Mediterranean have managed to overcome various threats
to their survival as a result of major conflicts in the
region. A new threat is now endangering their well-being
and those of future generations, primarily from activities
that are causing pollution to the marine environment, which
is the source of life for both human beings and a large
variety of marine living resources in the region. Compounding
this danger is the fact that apart from the flow of surface
water through the Straight of Gibraltar, the Dardanelles
and river run-off, the Mediterranean is an almost enclosed
sea taking over a century to be fully renewed.
Conscious of the importance of safeguarding the Mediterranean
Sea from pollution, the Mediterranean riparian states, together
with the EEC agreed, in 1975, to draw up a Mediterranean
Action Plan (MAP) to address this challenge. This led to
the adoption, a year later, of the Convention for the Protection
of the Mediterranean Sea against Pollution; better know
as the Barcelona Convention. This was the first Regional
Seas agreement reached under the auspices of UNEP.
The implementation of the various programmes under the
MAP was entrusted to the Secretariat of the Convention,
which has been operating in Greece, under a host country
agreement, since 1982.
Following the Barcelona Convention, the Contracting Parties
adopted further landmark Protocols addressing: the pollution
of the Mediterranean Sea from marine activities; land-based
sources; and the protection of specially protected areas
and biological diversity. Recent positive developments in
this regard include the entry into force of the new Prevention
and Emergency Protocol, one year after its adoption by the
parties, and the drafting of a new Protocol on Costal Zone
Management. To help address these challenges six Regional
Activity Centres located in Croatia, Tunisia, France, Spain,
Malta and Italy have been established.
The year 2005 will mark the 30th Anniversary for the MAP.
Important developments which have taken place include the
amendments to the MAP and the Convention to give concrete
meaning to the concept of sustainable development and the
setting up of the Mediterranean Commission, in 1996, as
an advisory body for the development of a sustainable strategy
for the region.
A major achievement of MAP in recent years has been the
formulation of a Strategic Action Programme (SAP), a pollution
reduction programme that will gradually bring about the
elimination of pollution released from land-based sources
into the sea by the year 2025. SAP represents the regional
adaptation of the principles and aims of the Global Programme
of Action to address pollution from land-based activities.
With the assistance of the GEF, National Action Plans (NAPs)
have been prepared intended to assist countries to take
concrete actions at national levels.
Although the achievements have been significant, much
still remains to be done. At the next biennial meeting of
the Contracting Parties, a Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable
Development is expected to be adopted. The Contracting Parties
will also examine the external evaluation of the MAP and
the re-defining of its mandate to address future challenges
in a sustainable way. Further to this, the Contracting Parties
will; discuss the adoption of a new strategy regarding Coastal
Zone Management, decide on a strategy to implement the new
Prevention and Emergency Protocol, launch a new GEF project,
and implement the NAPs to address land-based pollution.
This is a tall order, however, based on past experiences
and with the full political support of the Contracting Parties,
the implementation of these tasks stands a very good chance
of success.
n the same way that the peoples of the region have managed
to overcome other dangers in the past, so they will win
the challenges of the future.
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