Bolstering Mediterranean biodiversity and Marine and Coastal Protected Areas for nature (SEMPA Project)
2023-2027
The SEMPA Project, funded by the European Union, contributes to the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES) in the Mediterranean Sea and Coast in seven (7) countries that are contracting parties to the Barcelona Convention, namely Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco and Tunisia.
The project is endowed with a budget of 4 million Euros for a duration 48 months and is executed by the UNEP/MAP Coordinating Unit, and the Specially Protected Areas Regional Activity Centre (SPA/RAC).
SEMPA is part of the UNEP/MAP portfolio of EU-funded projects, which also includes the follow-up phases of the EcAp MED III and Marine Litter MED II projects. The trio will operate until mid-2027 with complementary objectives and activities, further boosting the implementation of GES based on the findings of the 2023 Mediterranean Quality Status Report.
Objectives
With the overall objective of contributing to the achievement of GES in the Mediterranean Sea and coast, the specific objectives of the SEMPA Project are:
- to support the implementation of the Post-2020 Strategic Action Programme for the Conservation of Biodiversity and Sustainable Management of Natural Resources in the Mediterranean Region
- to continue support on the implementation of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) with a particular focus on biodiversity and Non-indigenous Species (NIS); hydrography and coast; and interlinkages with climate change, expanding the scope of the support to SEIS implementation and its related indicators to biodiversity and climate change.
- to induce self-sustained improvements in gender mainstreaming and women empowerment, especially in the designation and management processes of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs)
Expected results
Building on the IMAP-MPA project’s achievements, the project is expected to contribute to the implementation of the UNEP/MAP Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) 2022-2027 and the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP).
On biodiversity, the project will contribute to the implementation of the Post-2020 SAPBIO and the Regional Strategy for MCPAs and OECMs, two regional strategies adopted by the Contracting Parties under the SPA/BD Protocol to the Barcelona Convention. In addition, SEMPA will shore up national capacity in the management of marine protected areas. This multi-pronged endeavour will contributed to the implementation of the globally negotiated targets under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
The SEMPA Project is also strengthening gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women at local, national and regional scale through its activities, in line with the Medium-Term Strategy (2022-2027) and the Antalya Ministerial Declaration.
