16/06/2005 – WWF is asking
delegates at a meeting of the UN Convention
on Biodiversity to approve the creation of
marine protected areas (MPAs) in the Mediterranean
high seas. MPAs are beginning to be established
in coastal regions in some Mediterranean states,
but the high seas are yet to be considered.
The Mediterranean high seas showcase a range
of outstanding features and rank among the
most important in the world, according to
a recent report by WWF and IUCN-the World
Conservation Union.
Sea-beds go down to 5,000m in depth and contain
vaste submarine canyons, seamounts, mud volcanoes,
or deep trenches. Moreover, the Mediterranean
is one of the few warm deep-sea basins in
the world, with temperatures around 12.5°C–14.5°C
at all depths, high salinity, and high oxygen
levels. These characteristics translate into
the presence of a unique biodiversity with
a high presence of endemic species.
“High sea habitats are under threat from
destructive fishing practices, waste discharge,
oil and toxic pollutions," said Paolo
Guglielmi, Head of the Marine Unit at WWF's
Mediterranean office.
"Apart from the Cetacean Sanctuary in
the Ligurian Sea, there is no other protected
area of this kind in the Mediterranean."
WWF is proposing an initial list of six sites
to be protected regionally, with the status
of MPAs.
These include the: Alboran Sea seamounts
in the south-western part of the Mediterranean,
which features high biodiversity levels; Cap
de Creus canyon system, in the Gulf of Lions
in the north-west Mediterranean, an area crucial
for the reproduction of important species
such as blue and red shrimp and anchovy; “Lophelia”
deep-sea reef off Capo Santa Maria di Leuca
in the Ionian Sea, which is home to the rare
white coral Lophelia pertusa; Chemosynthesis-based
ecological community near the Nile Delta,
which is associated with cold seeps and has
endemic species of worms and molluscs; Eratosthenes
seamount, south of Cyprus, which hosts rare
coral species;and “Pelagian Sanctuary” open-sea
area in the south Mediterranean Sea, where
several protected species are present, such
as sharks, dolphins, sea turtles, and seabirds.
All proposed sites have been subject to scientific
studies validating their high ecological importance.
Their need for protection is supported by
renowned international scientific teams.
“Now that bottom trawling beyond 1,000m has
been banned in the Mediterranean high seas,
establishing high seas protected areas is
an absolute necessity if we don’t want to
see unique habitats and biodiversity disappear,”
added Guglielmi.
END NOTES:
• The UN Convention in biological diversity
– one of the key agreements adopted at the
1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro – is an
international agreement that establishes three
main goals: the conservation of biological
diversity, the sustainable use of its components,
and the fair and equitable sharing of the
benefits from the use of genetic resources.
