State of the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Environment

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FRANCE SLOVENIA CROATIA ITALY BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA MONTENEGRO SPAIN ALBANIA TURKEY MOROCCO ALGERIA TUNISIA MALTA GREECE CYPRUS ISRAEL SYRIA LEBANON LIBYA EGYPT through the Suez Canal and the Sumed pipeline (ending at Sidi Kerir, close to Alexandria), both to Mediterranean destinations and to ports west of Gibraltar. Transit voyages in 2006 accounted for only 15 % of the crude oil voyages. The remainder of the voyages either originated from or ended at Mediterranean ports. Liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) shipments also make up a considerable proportion of the energy-related shipments in the Mediterranean. The vast majority are intra-Mediterranean exports from North Africa to other ports in the Mediterranean, mostly in Europe. The forecast for maritime transport in the Mediterranean points to an increase in traffic, linked in part to increased exports of crude oil from the Caspian region and the Black Sea. Another factor is improved infrastructure in Central and Eastern Europe, which could lead to an increase in bulk cargo through the Adriatic ports, rather than through Northern European ports, which is the current practice. The major maritime-transport-related impacts that affect marine environment are pollution from marine accidents and from antifouling-paint biocides, the introduction of pathogens and invasive species, ship-strike mortality of cetaceans and sea turtles, and underwater noise. Despite the regulation and eventual banning of the discharge of waste at sea, the practice of dumping waste and other harmful substances continues to occur. Ongoing marine dumping, plus the legacy from past dumping, continues to subject the marine environment to considerable pressure. With regards to the coastal zone the development of maritime transport is inherently linked to the development of coastal infrastructures such as ports and motorways and railways connecting inland areas to the ports. The development of large logistic coastal infrastructures brings, amongst others, fragmentation of coastal landscapes and habitats, changes in the land use and increased pollution loads. Coastal and marine natural resources Coastal and marine resources include both non-living resources, such as fertile soil, fresh water, and fossil fuels, and living resources, such as fish. The availability of these resources is a precondition for sustainable economic development in the region. The Mediterranean Basin faces growing problems with degradation of land resources and water scarcity as a result of human activity. Fisheries, also vital to Mediterranean economies, are threatened by over-exploitation and unsustainable practices (UNEP/MAP/ MED POL 2005). Water stress in the Mediterranean basin Water Exploitation index 1 Percentage, 2000-2010 Less than 20 20 to 40 40 to 60 60 to 80 more than 80 1. Ratio of annual volume extracted from natural esources/annual average volume of renewable natural sources Existing and planned desalination plants Capacity, thousand cubic metres More than 50 50 or less Desertification Severe desertification area Sources: Blue Plan, informations based on national sources; Water, energy, desalination & climate change in the Mediterranean, 2008; IDA Worldwide Desalting Plants Inventory; Beilstein, M;, Bournay, E., Environment and Security in the Mediterranean: Desertification, ENVSEC, 2009. 32 STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARINE AND COASTAL ENVIRONMENT
Maritime transportation routes in the Mediterranean Maritime accidents 2000-2009 Oil spill occurred Noxious substance spill occurred Main shipping routes Very high intensity Lower intensity (Line thickness indicates volume of traffic) Container traffic, 2005 Thousands containers or equivalent 2 100 to 3 180 1 200 to 2 100 600 to 1 200 300 to 600 40 to 300 One container is equal to 39 cubic metres Sources: REMPEC; ; Beilstein, M;, Bournay, E., Environment and Security in the Mediterranean: Desertification, ENVSEC, 2009. Soil and freshwater Around the Mediterranean Sea, alluvial and coastal plains are few and not extensive, the Nile Delta being by far the largest. The coastal lowlands are particularly vulnerable to climate change, which can affect hydrology, sea levels and ecosystems. They are also threatened by the results of human activity, such as pollution and sediment flow from intensive agriculture and industrial development, both local and upstream. The intensification of agriculture, in particular, has reinforced a long-term trend toward desertification in the region. About half of Mediterranean lands are subject to the risk of erosion (UNEP/MAP/MED POL 2005) and therefore of soil loss. Agricultural irrigation and population growth are also reducing the flow of fresh water in the rivers that feed the Mediterranean’s alluvial plains. In most Mediterranean countries with an erratic rainfall pattern, many of the available sources of water have already been developed or are currently being developed. Estimates by Blue Plan conclude that by the year 2025, eight of the twelve southern and eastern Mediterranean countries could be consuming more than the total of their renewable water sources (UNEP/MAP/MED POL 2005). Already, all major rivers flowing into the Mediterranean have had much of their flows diverted to agriculture and other uses over the past 40 years, resulting in a 20 % reduction in freshwater inflow into the Mediterranean (Ludwig et al. 2009). Oil and gas The oil industry is extremely active in the Mediterranean Basin, with Libya, Algeria and Egypt considered moderate-sized petroleum producers and refineries distributed all around the basin. In some countries, such as Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey, domestic oil and gas production is relatively small, but exploration is very active especially since the recent vast discoveries and assessment of undiscovered reserves in the Levantine Basin Province in the eastern Mediterranean (EEA and UNEP 1999, Schenk et al. 2010). Complex geology and large, unexplored regions contribute to the uncertainty in determining the size of hydrocarbon resources in the Mediterranean region. The total known oil reserves are estimated at more than 45.000 million barrels. Exploration is the focus of most companies operating in the area and the most attractive exploration regions are located in both onshore and offshore areas. Among the better prospects are four in Algeria (at Ghadamis and Illizi basins near the Algeria-Tunisia-Libyan borders), three in Libya (at Sirte, Ghadamis and Murzuq basins), six in Egypt (at Ashrafi in the Gulf of Suez, East Tanka offshore, Western Desert, Meleiha, Qarum and Abu Gharadiq), four in Greece (north-west Peloponnesus, Ioannina, Aitoloakrnania and the Gulf of Patraikos FRANCE ITALY SLOVENIA CROATIA BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA MONTENEGRO ALBANIA TURKEY SPAIN TUNISIA MALTA GREECE CYPRUS SYRIA LEBANON MOROCCO ALGERIA ISRAEL LIBYA EGYPT INTRODUCTION TO THE MEDITERRANEAN BASIN 33
Page 1 and 2: STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARINE A
Page 3: STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARINE A
Page 6 and 7: Acknowledgements The State of the M
Page 8 and 9: 8 STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARINE
Page 10 and 11: While information exists on the env
Page 12 and 13: catch, non-selective fishing method
Page 14 and 15: 14 STATE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN MARIN
Page 16 and 17: The region enclosing the Mediterran
Page 18 and 19: vironment affects human well-being.
Page 20 and 21: River Drainage region Outflow sub-b
Page 22 and 23: Total annual precipitations Mediter
Page 24 and 25: Mediterranean Sea water masses: ver
Page 26 and 27: The Human Mediterranean Basin Human
Page 28 and 29: 66 % urbanisation by 2025. (Plan Bl
Page 30 and 31: The existence of oil and gas reserv
Page 34 and 35: LUXEMBOURG CZECH REPUBLIC SLOVAKIA
Page 38 and 39: The ability to suggest measures in
Page 40 and 41: Coastal transport infrastructure in
Page 42 and 43: sources of pollution in 2003. The a
Page 44 and 45: Composition of benthic communities
Page 46 and 47: (Barcelona, Cartagena and Malaga).
Page 48 and 49: 2008). Distribution data are poor b
Page 50 and 51: the fire and explosions on the MT H
Page 52 and 53: Mean surface productivity and eutro
Page 54 and 55: Marine Litter Marine litter in coas
Page 56 and 57: Non-indigenous Species Distribution
Page 58 and 59: Commercially Exploited Fish and She
Page 60 and 61: tisanal fisheries continue to have
Page 62 and 63: Hydrographic Conditions Human-induc
Page 64 and 65: Biodiversity Species biodiversity M
Page 66 and 67: Halophila stipulacea, Posidonia oce
Page 68 and 69: Cumulative and Concurrent Impacts N
Page 72 and 73: The Mediterranean countries have fo
Page 74 and 75: Heptachlor, Mirex, Toxaphene; Alpha
Page 76 and 77: Protocols under the Convention for
Page 78 and 79: Harvest of commercially exploited f
Page 80 and 81: Pollution Ecological Objective Cont
Page 82 and 83:
Water Directive (with implications
Page 84 and 85:
Major Findings on the Pressures and
Page 86 and 87:
Next Steps in the Application of th
Page 88 and 89:
List of endangered or threatened sp
Page 90 and 91:
References Abdulla, A. and Linden,
Page 92:
UNEP/MAP/BP/RAC (2009). The State o
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State of the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Environment

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