WWF: The Mediterranean Sea won't sustain our economy if we don’t turn the tide now
19 January 2016by WWF -- last modified 19 January 2016
The Mediterranean region is currently facing impressive growth, a real “blue Gold Rush”. Without a long-term vision for sustainable development, the Mediterranean Sea will not be able to sustain our economy and our well-being, says WWF.
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This is what emerges from MedTrends,
a study run by WWF that provides for the first time a global and
integrated picture of the growth of economic maritime activities in
eight Mediterranean countries (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Greece,
Malta, Slovenia, Spain). MedTrends analyses the 10 key maritime economic
sectors, illustrating and mapping their current status and future
development trends (to 2030), and their environmental impacts.
WWF finds that maritime activities, among which maritime transports,
tourism, aquaculture and many others, are predicted to expand
substantially over the next 20 years. This is creating growing
competition for limited space and marine resources, which will result in
even greater pressure on an already stressed ecosystem. Coordinated and
long-term planning of the whole basin cannot wait.
“In a ‘business as usual’ scenario, the current exploitation of maritime
space and resources is simply not sustainable. The only way to ensure
that the Mediterranean Sea will continue to support our national
economies and to promote a sustainable blue economy is an integrated
management of the maritime space”, says Giuseppe Di Carlo, Director of WWF Mediterranean Marine Initiative.
“Economy, industries, governments, civil society and all stakeholders
must build a vision for the Mediterranean that reconciles economic
development and resource management”, adds Di Carlo.
Not surprisingly, the only sector that shows a downward trend is
professional fishery: today over 90% of fish stocks are overexploited.
Conflicts for space will arise, for example between aquaculture and
tourism (by far the most important industry for the Mediterranean
economy with a forecast 500 million tourists by 2030) as both activities
will develop on the coastline. There will also be conflict between oil
and gas extraction and renewable energies as detailed in the study.
“During the past few years the term "Blue Economy" or "Blue Growth" has
surged into common policy usage. While for some, "Blue Economy" simply
refers to any economic activity in the maritime sector, for WWF it means
the economic development of the oceans contributing to true prosperity
today and long into the future. We invite Commissioner Vella and his
team to embed this principle into the EU marine policy providing the
leadership we need to steer ocean management toward a sustainable
direction”, says Roberto Ferrigno, Head of Marine and Fisheries at WWF European Policy Office.
“The European Union must play a crucial role in this regard. The tools
do exist on paper, first of all the Marine Spatial Planning Directive of
July 2014”, says Catherine Piante of WWF France,
MedTrends project leader. “But much must still be done. The
implementation of this Directive requires a shared and ambitious vision
for the future of Mediterranean maritime space, taking into account
different spatial scales, and with the protection and restoration of
biodiversity and
ecosystems as a keystone. Otherwise, it will be impossible to reach the
environmental targets set by the European Commission that are already at
serious risk”, adds Piante.
“Prior to MedTrends, despite incentives to support sustainable Blue
Economy in the Mediterranean Sea, there has been little information on
the future trends of maritime sectors, and how these trends might
affect, positively or negatively, marine ecosystems. Our analysis and
the solutions and actions we indicate help to fill this gap and are a
contribution to a better integrated and more effective management of
Mediterranean space and resources”, concludes Piante.
The MedTrends project combines the collection and analysis of
geo-localised socio-economic and environmental information with a wider
spatial analysis that helps to identify interactions and conflicts
between sector development and the protection of marine ecosystems. It
looks into today’s situation along with future developments up to 2030.
WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the planet's natural environment and to build a future in which humans live in harmony with nature. The European Policy Office contributes to the achievement of WWF's global mission by leading the WWF network to shape EU policies impacting on the European and global environment.
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