DOSSIERS MED Forum 3

During the sessions of the Mediterranean Conference Protected Areas, Preservation of Biodiversity, and Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean: Strategic Guidelines and Good Practices, which were attended by more than 125 representatives from diverse NGOs, and institutions, scholars and experts from the Mediterranean region, the participants debated concrete proposals on strategies for the protection of biodiversity. They also presented projects and fieldwork experiences about good practices in protected Areas within the Mediterranean Basin, which would make compatible the Preservation of biodiversity with the sustainable development of this area. On the bidding of those present at the Mediterranean Conference, and once assembled the Mediterranean Council of MED Forum, Mediterranean NGO Network for Ecology and Sustainable Development, the following has been approved:

We declare that the Mediterranean offers certain environmental conditions that allow for great biological diversity, both terrestrial and marine, and that this biodiversity is threatened by the grave deterioration suffered in all of the Mediterranean Basin. The heavy pressure inflicted on the narrow strip of coastline that runs along more than 46,000 Km of the coast, endangers the fragile ecosystems that exist there.

We are aware of the permanent demographic growth in all of the Mediterranean coastline. Almost 40% of the more than 410 million inhabitants of the 22 countries around the Mediterranean Basin are concentrated in this area, which does not even represent 17.5% of the total surface area of the territory. To these we must add the almost 200 million tourists who visit us yearly, plus their land use, consumption of natural resources and the pollution provoked by such a mass concentration of people. We also have to take into account land occupation by infrastructures, industries, facilities and harbors.

We denounce, as we already expounded in the Barcelona Declaration of the Mediterranean NGOs for Sustainable Development, "the continued degradation of the natural setting and the permanent aggressions to the cultural heritage. Land speculation, especially along the seafront, is the main predator of the Areas with the greatest ecological value. Buildings that degrade the landscape, urban concentrations in areas of unparalleled beauty, wetlands turned into marinas, dunes razed to the ground for construction, or coastal palm groves replaced by forests of apartment blocks, all demonstrate the triumph of considerations based on short-term profit for a handful at the cost of the natural and cultural heritage stolen from the rest of the community and future generations."

We want to put on the record that, despite the great exploitation of natural resources and the extinction of ecosystems of great value, there are still big areas that deserve a greater degree of protection to ensure their Preservation and their compatibility with a sustainable development. There are more than 10,000 marine species; there are over 25,000 plant species (phanerogamas), of which 50% are endemic; there are 5.000 million migratory birds pertaining to 150 species of the 500 known in all of the region; forest land accounts for only 9.4% of the total surface area; and there are a million hectares of wetlands which constitute the best resting places for migratory birds. Of the 46,000 Km of coastline, approximately 25,000 are taken up by diverse urban facilities that gravely affect the existing ecosystems; about 1,000 plant species are in danger of extinction and 26 species have already become extinct; 75% of the dunes along the Northern shoreline have disappeared. Especially worrisome are the threats posed to the lake systems of the Ebro, Rhone, Po and Nile deltas, or to the coastline of the Aegean Sea and the Tunisian and Algerian coasts, and this also holds true for the disappearance of a million hectares of wetlands in the last 50 years. Of the 145 breeds of cattle, 115 are considered to be in danger of extinction, and of the 49 breeds of goats, 33 are also endangered. Deforestation, land impermeabilization caused by an excessive and chaotic urban development, and forest fires are responsible for the disappearance of the layer of vegetation which is necessary for sustaining biodiversity.

We affirm that biological diversity, protected areas and sustainable development are inextricably linked, and their mutual interdependencies and conditioning factors have to be taken into account. It is necessary to take a step in the direction of protecting those Areas or areas considered to be of the greatest ecological value, especially considering that at present little more than 1% of the Mediterranean coastal zone enjoys some type of protection. We need measures of protection that imply a regulation of natural resources, a responsible management, greater technical and economic resources, and that help to carry out a sustainable development, not only of protected Areas but of their environment or setting as well.

This means a reevaluation of the roles played by these areas, not only with respect to its Preservation and the sustainable use of its biological diversity, but also with respect to the sustainable development policies applied to the Mediterranean Basin.

We consider that that the concept of sustainable development encompasses five sustainability dimensions: the economic, the social, the ecological, the cultural, and the political dimensions. The unsustainability of one of these dimensions sooner or later implies the unsustainability of the others.

Based on all of this, WE PROPOSE:

1. To promote the integrated and sustainable management of all of the Mediterranean coastline, establishing, among other things, the limitation of urban development in the coastal areas and declaring a minimum of 20% of the marine-land coastline as a protected area under strict protective measures, especially taking into account those areas considered as being critical.
2. To promote the creation of a Fund for the Protection of the Mediterranean Coastline with the goal of acquiring areas of great ecological, cultural and landscape value, for purposes of Preservation, protection, education and information and a sustainable social use compatible with the integrity of their ecosystems. This Fund shall adopt organization mechanisms adapted to the reality of each country, but it shall be managed by civil society and it should be able to count on institutional and private support.
3. To set in motion measures for the protection and Preservation of ecosystems, habitats and endangered species both in protected areas and those adjacent to them, to save them from the threats posed by urban development and their facilities, by tourist activities, pollution, agricultural practices and the excessive and indiscriminate use of communal areas for stockbreeding exploitation. It is essential to put into effect measures of protection in relation to domestic and domesticated species, and in relation to crops and breeds that are autochthonous, endangered or about to become extinct in the Mediterranean agro-ecosystems.
4. To prevent natural areas from becoming islands in an ocean of perturbed, artificial or degraded areas; to establish norms that impede the fragmentation or isolation of these Areas, as would be the case with fences on hunting reserves, road and other constructions for infrastructure and division into lots. We must create natural space networks on a national, regional and international level. These networks offer specific opportunities for cooperation, exchange of information and experiences, they tend to reduce costs, give a chance to harmonize criteria, and also give local areas a regional and international dimension. We have to resort to ecological or Preservationist corridors that link protected areas among each other, thus increasing the size of the reproductive population thanks to this bond. We must plan buffer zones between protected areas and areas with other management criteria integrated in the social, economic, and productive schemes. We must revalue these transition zones and incorporate them within the protection plan of these protected areas, giving them the attention they deserve, since we are aware that the negligence of these areas may significantly reduce the effectiveness of the protected areas.
5. To implement sustainable development policies that reconcile the social, economic, political, cultural and ecological dimensions, and to consider the setting of these protected Areas not only in their physical dimension but also as a social, economic and cultural setting. We must integrate the populations of human habitats encompassed within the perimeters of the protected areas as well as those that are directly linked to these so that they participate in the management, Preservation and sustainable use of these protected areas.
6. To strengthen the participatory mechanisms of civil society so that it can carry out an active and responsible role in the activities of protection, Preservation and sustainable use of protected areas and biological diversity. It is especially important that Mediterranean NGOs assume responsibilities in the tasks of education, training and management concerning the protection of natural areas and biological Preservation. In this context the NGOs must show a capacity to innovate in their search for solutions and in their practical implementation.
7. To adopt measures that impede the reduction of wetlands, not only because of the importance of their regulating, protective, productive, informative and supportive functions in relation to economic activities, but also because of their rich biological variety and its role as a habitat and breeding ground for migratory species. It is essential to establish incentives for the Preservation and recovery of wetlands.
8. To carry out an integrated and sustainable planning and management of the inland Mediterranean system so as to preserve its rich and yet fragile natural and cultural resources. This planning and management must be carried out in a participatory manner by associating local populations and the NGOs. Population concentration must be regulated so as to avoid an excessive presence threatening the insular natural and cultural heritage, which constitutes the base for a sustainable development process of the population itself.
9. To recognize the value of agricultural lands for the Preservation of biological diversity, and to integrate them explicitly in the strategies of Preservation and sustainable use of biological diversity. The objectives concerning biological diversity for agricultural areas must be clearly formulated and reinforced by means of an adequate research so as to incorporate them in the existent programs veered towards the sustainability of agricultural production. In these practices, we will have to take into account, among other factors, the role played by microorganisms and by soil microfauna in general, apart from developing techniques and instruments for the routine integration of the values of biological diversity in the management and uses of the ground, the management of enclosures, fences, bush areas, agricultural beds, terraces and banks.
10. To set up regulations for the preservation of marine habitats and communities. To regulate restricted activity areas with respect to their size, quotas, or ways of fishing. To identify the key species of the Mediterranean and carry out research on their present situation from the point of view of their Preservation and their sustainable use. To determine the capacity of response of aquatic communities to fishing exploitation. To determine the optimum level of catch that is at the same time compatible with the preservation of the greatest degree of biodiversity, ensuring that the most vulnerable species are not overly exploited and that incidental fishing or the catch of accompanying fauna is reduced. To determine what management and fishing practices are potentially the least harmful for the Mediterranean diversity, and which cause the greatest harm both to the marine environment and to vertebrate and invertebrate fauna of the Mediterranean, provoking the greatest loss of biological diversity. To search for viable alternatives to highly destructive fishing techniques such as drift nets and trawl nets, dragged along the sea bottom. To reduce the pressure of non-fishing activities on marine biological diversity, especially of hazardous waste cargoes, deteriorating modifications of the marine habitat, and of the effects of introducing exotic or foreign species.
11. To regulate the activities of hunting and gathering wild plant and animal species, and to take the necessary measures to ensure their preservation and guarantee the upkeep of the functions they carry out in the protection of natural areas and the Preservation of general biological diversity.
12. To regulate and control the deliberate or accidental introduction of foreign and genetically modified species because of their effects on biological diversity as well as on agricultural activity. The introduction of these species a threat represents for native and cultivated species, both directly by depredation and competence, and indirectly by the alterations they cause in the natural habitats. This regulation and control is especially important in the case of islands.
13. To take concrete measures to protect the rich and varied cultural and monumental heritage of the Mediterranean and its natural settings as a fundamental value of diversity, and to integrate it in a process of sustainable development of the protected areas, and of Preservation of biodiversity.
14. To promote norms within the Mediterranean scope and in each country that demand necessarily the evaluation of the impact caused by all urban developments, infrastructures, tourism, and all economic activities in general, on habitats, ecosystems, natural protected areas and biological and cultural diversity. These norms must also include monitoring mechanisms apart from coming up with norms of environmental management in the aforementioned activities.
15. We ask that the Mediterranean countries take on the obligations derived from the ratification of the Convention on Biological Diversity and that they put into effect the required measures, especially those contained in Article 8 in reference to in-situ Preservation and to protected areas, Articles 6 and 7 with respect to the elaboration of plans, strategies, programs and monitoring of the Preservation and sustainable use of biological diversity, and Article 19 concerning biotechnology and the distribution of its benefits.
16. Both on a national and international level, the articulation of the Convention on Biological Diversity with other international agreements relevant to the Mediterranean region as is the case of the Convention to Combat Desertification and the Convention on the Law of the Sea, as well as other regional Preservation agreements such as the SPA Protocol developed within the framework of the Barcelona Convention, should be advanced through the coordination carried out by the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP-UNEP), and it should reach agreements with sectors such as agriculture, silviculture, fishing, tourism, and commerce so as to achieve coherence and the maximum effectiveness in its application.

During the Mediterranean Conference: Protected Areas, Preservation of Biodiversity, and Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean: Strategic Guidelines and Good Practices, the following projects and fieldwork experiences were presented:

• Biodiversity within a Natural Reserve: the Example of the Réserve Naturelle de la Massane. Association des Amis de la Massane. FRANCE.
• Rehabilitation, valuation, and management of the Zemmouri ecosystem, including the coastal zone. Association Ecologique de Boumerdes. ALGERIA.
• Support to the Participatory Management of the Natural Resources and to the Rehabilitation of the Agro-Ecosystems of the Oases: the Individual Case of the Touat/Adrar of Algeria. Association Nationale de Volontariat "Touiza". ALGERIA.
• School-Tourism as Sustainable Tourism in Protected Areas: The Case of the Island of Ventotene- Project Life. Associazione Mediterranea. ITALY.
• Preservation of Degraded Alep Pine Forests in Sub-Saharan Zones. ALGERIA.
• Sustainable Tourism Practices in the Andorran Valleys. Centre de Biodiversitat d’Andorra. ANDORRA.
• Mediterranean Parks of the 21^st Century. Environmental Council Board of the Junta de Andalusia. SPAIN.
• Life Project of Sustainable Management of the Punta de la Mora Area in Tarragona. DEPANA. SPAIN.
• An Environmentally-Friendly Viticultural Experience. Operation Cru Wine of Banyuls: A Traditional Viticulture. District de la Côte Vermeille. FRANCE.
• An Ecological Corridor through Ravines (Puerto Real-Los Barrios). Ecologistas en Acción. SPAIN.
• Towards Sustainable Development through R&D Biodiversity Studies of Pharaonic Plants. FEDA. EGYPT.
• Strengthening of National Capacity and Grassroots in-situ Preservation: for Sustainable Biodiversity Protection. Green Line. LEBANON.
• Kopacki Rit, Restoration of a Wetland. Green Osijek. CROATIA.
• Environment Education Centre. GEOTA. PORTUGAL.
• Intervention of Safeguard of the Coastal Poetto. ISPROM. ITALY.
• A Social, Solidary and Cooperative Enterprise: A Model of Sustainable Development in the Genal Valley as Horizon. An Experience Rooted in Social Participation. La Molienda Sociedad Cooperativa Andaluza. SPAIN.
• Project Life TCY 97/TN/055: Conservation and Rehabilitation of Fragile Inland Ecosystems: La Galite, Zembra and Kerkennah. Les Amis des Oiseaux. TUNISIA.
• Sustainable Development in the Negev. Negev Bar Kayma. Sustainable Development for the Negev. ISRAEL.
• Plan for the Compatibility of Traditional Artisan Fishing of A Professional Nature with the Conservation of Marine Resources in the National Park of the Cabrera Archipelago. Parque Nacional Marítimo Terrestre del Archipiélago de Cabrera. SPAIN.
• Born Free. SPNI. ISRAEL.
• Public Awareness and Local Population’s Participation within the Management Plan of the Merja Zerga Biological Reserve (Morocco). Tour du Valat. FRANCE.
• Integrated Project to Protect the Natural Heritage and Biological Diversity of Machael. TEMA. TURKEY.
• Integrated Strategic Plan for the Rural Development of Sant Feliu de Pallerols. (PEIDER). Autonomous University of Barcelona. Environmental Center of Studies. SPAIN.
• Designing a Support System for Decision-Making in Relation to the Natural Park of Huetor (Granada). University of Granada. SPAIN.
• Biodiversity in Jordan. University of Jordan. Higher Council of Science and Technology. JORDAN.
• Sustainable Development Plan for the Natural Park Sierra de las Nieves. Preview. University of Malaga. SPAIN.

MED Forum has approved this Declaration, which was widely debated during the Mediterranean Conference and later debated within the Mediterranean Council, and commits itself to fulfilling the following tasks:

• Disseminating the contents of this Declaration. and search for the necessary support to achieve its application.

• Creating a Handbook on Good Practices in relation to protected areas, conservation of biodiversity, and sustainable development in the Mediterranean, basing itself on the projects presented during the Mediterranean Conference.

• Searching for potential situations in which to reproduce our local projects by maintaining a regional (Mediterranean) perspective in our daily work.

• Taking advantage of the contacts made during these Conference sessions so as to prepare regional projects and look for funding for carrying out new projects in a partnership regime within the MED Forum network, based on these experiences (SMAP, METAP....).

Malaga (Spain), November 22^nd, 1999.