Monitoring and Assessments

Overview

Assessments conducted in the framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) enhance the collective knowledge of the marine and coastal environment and its interactions with human activities in the context of sustainable development.

Over the years, MAP has honed monitoring and assessment methodologies and tools, and worked with regional and global partners to deliver assessments addressing the following aspects using to the extent possible the DPSIR (Drivers – Pressures – Status – Impacts – Responses) approach:

the state of the marine and coastal environment;
drivers of environmental degradation, pressures exerted on ecosystems, and impacts;
inventory of pollution loads discharging directly or indirectly into the Mediterranean Sea;
transboundary diagnostic analysis and emerging issues;
interactions between environment and development, scenarios building and prospective analysis;
socioeconomic analysis and ecosystem services.

The findings of these thematic and integrated assessments feed into a shared knowledge base that the Contacting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols have built upon to articulate coordinated action for a healthy Mediterranean Sea and Coast.

Mandate

At the inception of MAP, two of the four defining aspects considered by the Intergovernmental Meeting on the Protection of the Mediterranean (Barcelona, Spain, 28 January-4 February 1975) were:

the integrated planning of the development and management of resources of the Mediterranean basin—this aspect provided, inter alia, for the assessment of costs and economic and social advantages of taking the environmental factor into consideration for development projects and the repercussion of economic development, in particular in the tourism and industry sectors, on the environment of the region;
the establishment of a “coordinated programme for research, monitoring, and exchange of information and assessment of the state of pollution and of protection measures”—on this aspect, it was agreed that the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention cooperate to put “at the disposal of political leaders and decision-makers all information that will enable them to develop plans likely to ensure sustained optimal socio-economic development without degrading the environment” and help “governments of coastal states in the Mediterranean region to increase their knowledge of the joint problems they have to face, both in the Mediterranean Sea and in their coastal areas.”

This mandate, which was further developed, evolved towards stronger interactive and integrated approaches for monitoring and assessments under the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, notably following the substantive revision of MAP and Barcelona Convention in 1995.

The objectives of the current MAP Medium-Term Strategy (MTS) 2016-2021 include delivering “knowledge-based assessments of the Mediterranean environment and scenario development for informed decision-making and stakeholder work” including:

quality status of marine and coastal environment;
interactions between environment and development;
scenarios building and prospective development analysis;
in-depth thematic and sectorial assessments.

These assessments are expected to analyze climate change-related vulnerabilities and risks to the marine and coastal zones, and to close knowledge gaps on marine pollution, ecosystem services, coastal degradation and impacts of consumption and production.

With a view to delivering this complex mandate, the Contracting Parties have invested important resources in the Coordinating Unit and all MAP components.

The mandates of the Coordinating Unit and MAP components provide for the complementary monitoring and assessment remits that illustrate the scope of the MAP system’s work:

MED POL: assessment of the status and trends in the quality of the marine and coastal environment, including health-related aspects of marine pollution.
REMPEC: assessment of the status and trends of maritime traffic and offshore activities in the Mediterranean and related marine pollution and impact on the marine and coastal environment, including health-related aspects of marine pollution.
Plan Bleu/RAC: identification, collection and processing of environmental, economic and social data for decision-making; assessment of the interaction between the environment and socio-economic development; preparation of analyses and prospective studies to support decision-making.
SPA/RAC: facilitation and promotion of research development to bridge knowledge gaps on marine and coastal biodiversity; contribution to inventorying, mapping and monitoring Mediterranean marine and coastal biodiversity and Specially Protected Areas; assessment and mitigation of the impact of threats on marine and coastal biodiversity, including from unsustainable fisheries practices;
INFO/RAC: collection and sharing of information and enhancement of decision-making processes; support to Contracting Parties in fulfilling reporting requirements; strengthening MAP information management and communication capabilities; cooperation with key institutions for the establishment of a Shared Environmental Information System (SEIS).

In 2008, the Contracting Parties reached an important milestone by committing to apply the Ecosystem Approach principle. Through Decision IG.17/6, they adopted the Ecosystem Approach Roadmap to achieving the Good Environmental Status (GES) of the Mediterranean Sea and Coast. Two out of the seven steps indicated in the Roadmap are related to monitoring and assessment of marine and coastal environment.

Decision IG.22/7 on the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme of the Mediterranean Sea and Coast (IMAP) and related assessment criteria was instrumental in further bolstering the marine and coastal environment monitoring and assessment capacities. IMAP is based on a six-year cycle and on data deriving from the implementation of integrated national monitoring and assessment programmes by the Contracting Parties.

IMAP at a glance

IMAP is based on the definition of Good Environmental Status. It encompasses 11 Ecological Objectives and related targets covering pollution and marine litter, biodiversity, non-indigenous species, coastal ecosystems, and hydrography. Monitoring is ensured through 27 mandatory and candidate Common Indicators.

The implementation of IMAP relies on robust standardized monitoring, reporting and assessment guidelines, approaches and tools. Regular national data reporting by the Contracting Parties is facilitated by the IMAP Pilot InfoSystem.

As IMAP is implemented and a more complete database is established, regular thematic reports will be developed in the coming years with a view to providing a detailed analysis of the state of the Mediterranean marine and coastal ecosystems, and identifying the key areas of national and regional action in order to achieve the Good Environmental Status.

Building on IMAP Common Indicators, Mediterranean Quality Status Reports (MED QSR) will be produced periodically on a six-year basis. Following the 2017 edition, the next MED Quality Status Report will be delivered in 2023.

Index of MAP Assessment Reports

Environment and development

The Report on the State of the Environment and Development Report (SoED) (2020)
The Report on the State of the Environment and Development in the Mediterranean (SoED) presents a comprehensive and updated assessment of the interactions between environment and development in the Mediterranean. This assessment report analyses socio-economic drivers and impacts of environmental degradation of the Mediterranean ecosystems. By applying an integrated and systemic approach, SoED is expected to increase awareness and understanding of environmental status and trends in the Mediterranean, their driving forces and impacts, facilitating the measurement of progress towards sustainable development. Piloted by Plan Bleu and co-authored by 126 experts from around the Mediterranean, it provides UNEP/MAP’s most comprehensive up-to-date knowledge base for decision-making at all levels, aiming at enhancing the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD).
MED 2050 Foresight Study, providing scenarios for the future and prospective analysis of the interactions between environment and development at medium and long terms, to be published in 2022.
MED 2050 is a participatory foresight exercise for the Mediterranean Region at Horizon 2050. Combining development and environment considerations, MED 2050 aims to inform Mediterranean decision-makers and stakeholders on the potential futures of the region and key measures required to ensure a transition towards a sustainable and inclusive future. MED 2050 is based on solid scientific expertise. It will also rely on broad stakeholders consultations on their vision for the future of the region. A hotspot for climate change, biodiversity, and water scarcity, affected by conflicts and resource overexploitation, the Mediterranean region more than ever requires efficient policies and cooperation mechanisms. MED 2050 should help design a shared path towards development, conservation, inclusiveness, and resiliency.
MedECC First Mediterranean Assessment Report (MAR1) on climate change
Prepared by Mediterranean Experts on Climate and environmental Change (MedECC) with the support of UNEP/MAP and other institutions, MAR1 and its Summary for Policy-Makers (SPM) present for the first time the state of scientific, technical and socio-economic knowledge on current state of play and risks of climate and environmental change in the Mediterranean region, as well as their impacts and future risks.

Ecosystem Approach-based assessments

The first Quality Status Report for the Mediterranean – MED QSR (2017)
In the context of implementing the Ecosystem Approach Roadmap adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention in 2008, the MAP system had delivered in 2017 the first ever Quality Status Report for the Mediterranean 2017 MED QSR, with support also from the EcAp MED II project. This is the first MAP assessment product based on the Ecosystem Approach and the respective MAP Ecological Objectives and IMAP Indicators; it builds upon existing data and is complemented with inputs from numerous diverse sources where appropriate. It is an important and innovative development for assessing the status of the Mediterranean ecosystem and the achievement of Good Environmental Status (GES).
The Marine Litter Assessment in the Mediterranean (2015)
To address the issue of marine litter in the Mediterranean, UNEP/MAP was the first Regional Sea Programme to develop a Regional Plan on the Management of Marine Litter in 2013 with a set of legally binding measures and implementation timetables to prevent and reduce the adverse effects of marine litter on the marine and coastal environment. The regional assessment report was delivered in conformity with Article 11(e) of the Regional Plan that entered into force in 2014. The report outlines the findings of the assessment and includes a vast amount of data and information, including the results of monitoring and national and regional studies on marine litter, and data on waste and plastic inputs to the marine and coastal environment for each Mediterranean country. In addition to providing the most important sources of litter, the report presents changes in their composition and transport patterns along with results of modeling.
The State of the Mediterranean Marine and Coastal Environment (2012)
The State of the Mediterranean Environment report charted a new course. For the first time, the report was organized around the eleven (11) Ecological Objectives agreed by the Contracting parties to the Barcelona Convention as part of a common strategy for the application of the Ecosystem Approach to the management of human activities. The report provides information on the Mediterranean ecosystems and on existing and new pressures – such as aquaculture and desalination – that affect the state of the environment. It also assesses the availability and quality of information and identifies knowledge gaps so as to provide guidance for scientific research and monitoring efforts undertaken by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention.
The Initial Integrated Ecosystem Approach assessment (2011)
This report captures the initial assessment of information on ecology, status, and pressures affecting coastal and marine ecosystems of the Mediterranean based on existing information available in the Mediterranean region. The assessment is described in the context of the ecosystem approach Roadmap implementation along with a basin-wide overview of existing knowledge of pressures and the state of marine and coastal ecosystems. The conclusion identified priority issues and critical gaps that were identified at the time with a view to advancing the implementation of ecosystem approach and definition of Mediterranean sea and coast ecological objectives.

Thematic assessments

Pollution

Joint Assessment Report EEA-UNEP/MAP for H2020 (2020)
The second H2020 Mediterranean Assessment Report provides a technical indicator-based appraisal of the progress observed towards the goal of healthy and clean Mediterranean. The assessment further builds on the knowledge-base, infrastructure, data, information drawn in the first H2020 Assessment, while considering the broadened scope of the H2020 work programme (2015-2020) by including the identified main land-based sources of pollution covering the three thematic areas of municipal waste, wastewater and industrial pollution, as well as the emerging issues of marine litter, hazardous waste and bathing water quality.
Joint Assessment Report EEA-UNEP/MAP for H2020 (2014)
The first regional assessment “Horizon 2020 Mediterranean Report – Toward shared environmental information systems” was prepared jointly by EEA and MAP in 2014. It highlighted challenges regarding differences between urban and rural areas and ongoing pressures from industry and nutrient pollution. The report provided a solid baseline to call for further cooperation in the region in terms of developing and sustaining the regular production and sharing of quality assessed environmental data, indicators and information.
Evaluation of the Strategic Action Programme to Address Pollution from Land Based Activities (SAP-MED) and related National Action Plans (2015)
In 2015, MED POL conducted a mid-term evaluation of the SAP-MED/NAP implementation in the Mediterranean. The evaluation revealed that important progress has been achieved by all Contracting Parties in particular on policy and regulatory aspects supported by monitoring programmes and reporting, as well as elimination of designated hotspots. The assessment highlighted several gaps related to the implementation of the NAPs, increasing trends of a number of pressures on marine and coastal environment, and the need for enhancing NAP financial sustainability, as well as effective and streamlined reporting for benchmarking work progress.
Transboundary diagnostic analysis (TDA) for the Mediterranean Sea (2005)
In 2005, the second Mediterranean TDA was undertaken. The report identified and analyzed major environmental concerns and their respective causes in the Mediterranean Sea, including declines in biodiversity, seawater quality, human health risks and degradation of coastal ecosystems. It identified three overarching environmental quality objectives to address major environmental concerns: 1) reduce the impacts of land-based pollution sources on Mediterranean marine environment and human health; 2) sustainable productivity from fisheries; and 3) conserve the marine biodiversity and ecosystem The TDA geographically identified 125 land-based pollution hot spots around the Mediterranean and classified them according to as to the source cause (industry, sewage, agriculture, etc.). It also identified 62 ecosystems associated with the highest pollutant-load hot spots).
Transboundary diagnostic analysis (TDA) for the Mediterranean Sea (1997)
Conducted in 1997, the Mediterranean Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) provided insights into the status of environmental issues in the Mediterranean as well as their root causes. This paved the way for related assessments that have been subsequently undertaken by MAP and partners and the elaboration of the Strategic Programme to combat pollution from the land-based sources of pollution and activities SAP MED, adopted by the Contracting Parties in 1999.

Biodiversity

Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM)

Sustainable consumption and production

State of cleaner production in the countries of the Mediterranean Action Plan

Learn more: http://www.cprac.org/en/media/studies/general-studies