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22 | OCEAN GOVERNANCE

The second half of the Monaco Ocean Week All these initiatives, the progress of which was re-
workshop focused on initiatives to increase the effec- ported at the event, are intended to help bring about
tiveness of highly protected areas. By 2023, the Med- effective marine conservation in the Mediterranean,
Fund environmental trust is supporting 15 MPAs and generating significant benefits for the ecosystems
4 new priority areas, particularly in the southern part and communities that depend on them, both directly
of the basin. With the support of the MAVA Founda- and indirectly.
tion, the Trust has created an office for high-protection
zones. It is also developing management indicators
for funded MPAs. The Pew Bertarelli Ocean Legacy
project is committed to creating large-scale, highly
protected MPAs, including a Mediterranean network, THE CASE OF THE TURKISH GÖKOVA MPA
by increasing the level of protection of existing ma- The level of protection and the benefits achieved from this
rine areas within the region. The Med Sea Alliance vast Aegean MPA has created a benchmark. Declared one
unites NGOs around strategic priorities to restore the
health of the Mediterranean, working in particular on of the world's top 16 marine protected areas at the United
the enforcement of regulations. A study carried out Nations World Ocean Conference in New York in June 2017,
by BlueSeeds, and Blue Pangolin Consulting has it stands out for its holistic approach and results in moni-
identified areas of opportunity for high, comprehen- toring Mediterranean grey sharks and monk seals and re-
sive protection in the Mediterranean, taking into ac- habilitating Posidonia meadows. The benefits of its level of
count socio-economic factors, biological threats and protection have been listed, from increased catches and in-
connectivity, and political issues. The Together for the come for fishermen to the flourishing native macro-algae,
Med program promotes sustainable fishing, the invol- from climate change mitigation through carbon capture
vement of the Mediterranean community, the impro- by seagrass to the revival of threatened species.
vement of the legal and political framework, and the
financing of the transition to sustainable fishing.

IN
FIGURES

■ 8,33%: surface area covered
by protected status in the
Mediterranean)
(sources : MedPAN, 2020),
■ 72% of the 1,062 marine protected
areas in the Mediterranean lack
regulations to reduce human © DanitaDelimont.com - Adobe Stock
impact on biodiversity,

■ only 0,23% of the Mediterranean is
effectively protected and provides
ecological benefits.
(sources : Claudet et al, One Earth 2, april 2020)