1. MED Forum News

• Mediterranean Agriculture by Vagelis Stoyannis

Por Désireé Andrés y Daniel Barbé

MED Info est le bulletin électronique de MED Forum, Réseau d'ONG de la Méditerranée pour l'Environnement et le Développement durable

Les éditeurs et les sponsors ne se responsabilisent pas des contenus des articles signés. Les auteurs sont les responsables des opinions exprimées.

Tel. +34 93 412 43 09 Fax: +34 93 412 46 22 E-mail: medforum@pangea.org

Web site: www.medforum.org

2. MED Forum News

MED Forum et le Plan d’action pour la Méditerranée (PAM) ont souhaité, à l’occasion de la Douzième réunion ordinaire des Parties contractantes à la Convention de Barcelone (Monaco, 14-17 novembre 2001), rendre public leur engagement mutuel à renforcer les liens de coopération entre leurs deux organisations sous forme du protocole d’accord ci-dessous. Ils ont célébré la signature d’un Protocole d’accord :

(…) MED Forum s’engage à faire pleinement siens les objectifs du Plan d’action pour la Méditerranée (PAM) qui a été créé sous l’égide du Programme des Nations Unies pour l’environnement (PNUE) en vue de contribuer à la protection de l’environnement et au développement durable de la région; il s’engage également à concourir à la mise en œuvre des recommandations et propositions d’action émanant de la Commission méditerranéenne du développement durable sur des thèmes prioritaires comme l’eau, l’information/participation, le tourisme durable, les indicateurs, la gestion intégrée et durable des zones côtières;

MED Forum s’emploiera, dans le cadre de ce concours, à mettre au service de la région méditerranéenne les projets TELEMAC qui comprend trois volets :

De son côté, le Plan d’action pour la Méditerranée envisage avec faveur cette coopération avec MED Forum, et il exprime son plein appui aux projets du réseau et son désir de contribuer à leur mise en œuvre. Cette contribution pourra revêtir les modalités suivantes:

1. Promotion et soutien du projet TELEMAC auprès des Parties contractantes, des

Points focaux et des Centres d’activités régionales du PAM;

2. Diffusion du contenu de TELEMAC dans le cadre de la stratégie du PAM en

matière d’information;

Mediterranean states discuss protection plans Environment

Representatives from 20 countries and the EU met last week in Monaco for the bi-annual meeting of Parties to the UN Barcelona convention, designed to protect the Mediterranean marine and coastal environments. A record 15 ministers attended.

Led by UN environment programme chief Klaus Töpfer, delegates agreed that a 1996 revision of the convention and its protocols should be brought into force as soon as possible, with next September's world sustainability summit as a target date. So far, eight countries plus the EU have ratified the revised rules, but another seven need to do so for entry into force. Progress on ratification of revised protocols varies.

The meeting also saw the launch of a Mediterranean-wide network of protected marine and coastal sites, called Spami. Twelve sites were presented for initial inclusion, most of which have been only partially protected through national legislation, the spokesperson said. Spami designation should lead to complete legal protection.

Ministers updated a protocol on oil pollution, adding requirements for countries to prevent tanker spills in addition to existing commitments on multilateral emergency response to spills.

Also Med Forum has been elected as member of MCSD for a new period of two years.

The Barcelona convention was the first in what has become a series of UN treaties designed to protect regional seas. It was agreed in 1975.

Considering the Draft Declaration prepared by the Members of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development, meeting in Tunis from 14 to17 November 2000,

Having examined the progress towards sustainable development at the regional level, in the light of the three pillars of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - and the need for an integrated approach,

Recognizing that good governance, based on democratic processes, respect for human rights, especially of women and children, the promotion of justice and international law, the eradication of poverty and empowerment of concerned people, and the establishment of peace and security, based on international legitimacy, is a prerequisite for sustainable development,

Stressing the importance and unique nature of the Mediterranean as an eco-region and an arena for solidarity, as well as its vocation for bringing different cultures closer to each other,

Also stressing the need to promote sustainable development strategies for eco-regions such as the Mediterranean, as well as associated regional commissions,

Recognizing the contribution of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development's activities and recommendations to the promotion of sustainable development,

Welcoming the increasing role and the active networking of the Mediterranean non-governmental organisations, the socio-economic groups, the local authorities, the scientific educational community and the media as actors and partners in sustainable development,

Stressing the impact of globalization and the intensification of economic, cultural and tourist exchanges, and the risks to which the natural and cultural heritage and the unique character of the Mediterranean are exposed,

Concerned by the pressures on the environment and biodiversity, the deterioration of forests and wetlands, desertification and land degradation the persistence of practices that are not sustainable in the long term, such as littoralization, the excessive exploitation of vulnerable natural resources, and particularly of water, the concentration of tourist activities, the increased production of solid domestic and industrial waste, the growing consumption of fossil fuels, contributing to the greenhouse effect, and related natural and technological risks, as well as the spread of non-sustainable production and consumption patterns,

Concerned by the growing disparity between the human and financial resources available and the challenges to be faced,

The widening income gap between countries of the North and South of the region and between rich and poor sectors of society within each country should be addressed. They affirm their commitment to achieve and surpass the 2015 targets for poverty reduction of the Millennium Summit, by designing and implementing appropriate regional and national gender equitable policies, strategies and programmes to address poverty effectively. This will include issues emerging from migration trends and economic transitions, which have created new forms of poverty.

Health protection and development and the wise use of healthcare resources are essential components for the sustainable development of the region.

The region needs to invest in capacity building and empowering its young population. Mediterranean countries are committed to review, reform and/or develop sound educational and appropriate information, communication and training strategies to develop the human capital needed to fuel sustainable development. Access by all people to general education should be secured, including education for environment and sustainability.

Actions at international, regional, national and local levels with collaboration between all the actors are needed in order to protect effectively the quality of this unique marine environment, to facilitate integrated management of coastal areas, to promote integrated management of water resources at watershed level, to sustain the precious biodiversity of the region and to combat desertification and land degradation efficiently.

Considering that the Mediterranean region attracts one third of international tourism, sustainable tourism respecting the environment and natural landscapes should be promoted.

Natural and technological risks should be systematically addressed, adopting prevention measures at all governance levels, ensuring safety for people and their property, as well as the natural environment and cultural heritage.

Clean and safe water, land productivity and food security should be addressed at regional and national levels by promoting sustainable agricultural practices and environmentally friendly consumption patterns.

The share of environmentally-sound renewable energy, particularly solar, wind and geothermal energy, in total primary energy production and use should be significantly increased, and energy efficiency technologies should be promoted

Policies for safe management and, where possible, elimination of industrial pollution and hazardous chemicals in the region should be promoted and implemented.

Monitoring networks, observatories and data collection systems should be efficiently linked for the purpose of analysing long-term trends and elaborating appropriate management policies.

Sustainable development requires that economic, social and environmental considerations be integrated into decision-making processes, planning procedures and law-making at all levels.

Institutional and legal frameworks must provide for public access to environmental information, participation in decision-making and access to justice. The implementation of the precautionary and the polluter pays principles and the principle of common and differentiated responsibility is essential in all relevant policies.

The Contracting Parties support efforts to strengthen global environmental governance and will contribute towards it in the Mediterranean region.

Increasing the effectiveness of the international legal framework foreseen at the Rio Conference requires countries to implement their commitments under the UNCCD, CBD and UNFCCC, as well as to ratify and implement the Rotterdam Convention, the Stockholm Convention, the Cartagena Protocol and the Kyoto Protocol. The progress made on the latter at COP 7 of the UNFCCC, hosted in Marrakech by a southern Mediterranean country, is a valuable contribution to sustainable development, to whose implementation the Mediterranean Action Plan should contribute.

The regional level is extremely important in promoting sustainable development. To this end, the Contracting Parties have renewed the Mediterranean Action Plan, revised the 1976 Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, adopted new Protocols and agreed on a reporting mechanism to monitor progress in implementing their commitments. The Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development is proving to be a valuable instrument for promoting partnership with major groups, notably through its working groups on water, tourism, and industry. The Parties are also seeking to strengthen ties between the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership and the Mediterranean Action Plan.

The role of Mediterranean regional, national and local levels of governance and participatory decision-making structures should be strengthened.

Countries should facilitate the implementation of recommendations and action plans deriving from local Agendas 21, establishing appropriate institutional frameworks by providing or facilitating access to adequate means by local authorities.

All countries and major groups of the region should develop and implement practicable and targeted Sustainability Strategies at various levels of governance, including Integrated Water Resources Management and Integrated Coastal Zone Management, in particular aiming at decreasing pressures on coastal areas.

As globalization is a rapid, irreversible, powerful process, Mediterranean countries are determined to reap its benefits and address effectively any adverse side-effects on social cohesion, environmental quality and cultural identities in order to promote sustainable development, in particular in the framework of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the forthcoming Free-Trade Area and the proposed enlargement of the European Union.

Scientific knowledge on achieving sustainable development and promoting eco-efficiency should be shared and the transfer of environmentally-sound technologies should be encouraged; Mediterranean regional centres have an important role to play in this regard.

Domestic resources, trade liberalization compatible with environmental protection and private financial flows, notably foreign direct investment, are fundamental in generating resources for sustainable development. National financing should be considerably increased while incentives

for environmentally and socially responsible investments should be promoted and environmentally damaging subsidies should be gradually removed.

Multilateral and bilateral international or regional funding available under public development aid should be considerably increased and better adapted to the programmes for the protection of the environment and sustainable development in the Mediterranean.

The international community should strive to reach the accepted UN aid target of 0.7 per cent of GNP as soon as possible. The commitment of the European Union Heads of States and Governments, in June 2001, to make concrete progress towards reaching this target before the Johannesburg Summit is welcomed.

New and additional resources of funding and innovative financial mechanisms respecting sustainable development principles, such as debt for nature and sustainable development swaps, as well as the Clean Development Mechanisms in the Kyoto Protocol, should be promoted.

These initiatives constitute innovative mechanisms of solidarity for real and effective Mediterranean partnership.

To this end, the Contracting Parties decide to:

• draw up or revise their own sustainable development strategies in the light of the results of the Johannesburg Summit and the agreements reached above;
• elaborate policies for regional development, including the conservation of natural capital;
• implement appropriate institutional, fiscal and legal reforms to promote the objectives of the Mediterranean Action Plan as renewed in 1995, with due attention to socio-economic considerations particularly in eastern and southern Mediterranean countries;
• promote the work of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development and its contribution to the promotion of sustainable development in the Mediterranean region in the framework of the Barcelona Convention, and take the necessary measures to implement its recommendations and proposals for action;
• promote the establishment of information, monitoring and evaluation systems on the State of the Environment and sustainable development at regional, national and local levels;

The Mediterranean Governments to increase the resources devoted to meet these commitments;

The international organizations and the European Community to improve allocated resources, increase synergies and mutual support between their programmes of intervention in the Mediterranean, so as to meet more effectively the needs of the region;

The United Nations to consider the needs and resources of eco-regions, such as the Mediterranean, when addressing sustainable development issues.

" In the name of life, history and humanity"

From 15.000 up to 5.000 BC, a cosmogonic change takes place in Minor Asia, Greece and Italy. People stop following the spreads of wild animals which migrate. They build the first villages and, after a while, the first cities. The first Mediterranean tribes are being born: Karai, Lelegai, Pelasgians, Lycaons, Thraceans, Kranaoi, Sikanoi, Miniai appear. The face of the world changes. Civilization is born. The reason for this change is a discovery. People begin the cultivation of the threecorn wheat. Agriculure is being born in this corner of the planet. Since then, many centuries and races will pass: Greeks, Latins, Etruscans, Romans, Persians, Bulgarians, Slavs, Turcs. All of them will appear at the historical foreground in their turn. History will have much to say about the wars, the conquests and the monuments that those people left behind. Very little will be written, however, about the plants and the animals which they brought with them. The epopee of agriculture will be written in small letters within history, although the history of civilization will be built over it.

For milleniums in this area of the planet plants and animals will meet. They will breed, they will season. Thousands of plant and animal species will be created in these three countries and will spread there after in the whole of the Mediterranean through the greek colonies and the three great empires: the Alexandrian, the Roman, the Byzantine.

The Cabernet grape will travel from Kimi to Marseilles. The Macedonians will bring the peach tree from Persia. Loucoulos will bring the cherry tree in the Greek, Pontic and Italian mountains, where dozens of varieties will evolve.

The pear-tree will be cultivated in Thessalia and will spread with dozens of varieties in M. Asia, Greece, Italy, France, Spain. Hundreds olive varieties will be created by the Greeks and the Italians and will spread in the Mediterranean. Dozens varieties of the apple tree will be born, hundreds varieties of wheat will be born from "Kabloutsas", the variety which is being cultivated since 9.000 BC in Thrace, and will flood the Mediterranean. Dozens species of bees, hens, sheep, goats, cows, horses will be born in the valleys and the mountains of the three mediterranean peninsula: the Italian, the Balkan and the M. Asian.

The Mediterranean agricultural area will be born. With it, the mediterranean way of life and the mediterranean diet will also be born. With the discovery of the New World, the new plants will season perfectly here: tomato, corn, tobacco, cotton. Dozens of varieties

with unique characteristics will evolve. Until the 2nd World War, the Mediterranean agriculture will surpass, literally, the nature itself in biodiversity (7.200 varieties and species in Greece, 5.000 in the Balkans, 7.000+ in Italy, 6.500 in Minor Asia).

Three peninsula, which will concentrate the agricultural biological reserves of the planet. They include varieties and species which have evolved for centuries within the fields of their areal distribution. For this reason they are resistant to sicknesses and need minimal chemical support in order to give their products. After the war, the situation will change. Chemistry will attack the Mediterranean agriculture and will destroy it. The multinational companies will take advantage of the markets of the North and will create the nutritional standard which suits them. A standard of uniform hybrids which hide a nightmarish secret: they need ten times more fertilizers, agrochemicals and water in order to be cultivated. The consumers of the North do not know that tomatoes have yellow or pink or orange colour and irregular shape and size. They are unaware that corn has yellow, red, pink, mauve colours. They ask for uniform, savorless, round, red tomatoes and bright, yellow corn. They are unaware of the various flavors of bread given by the local wheat varieties. They believe that bread has the savorless taste of the standardised one.

Today, the nightmare is here. The chemicals poison earth and water. Where thousands of varieties and species filled the land with colours and flavors creating a land of life, today only a few dozens of hybrids and improved animals are being cultivated-raised, fully dependent on chemistry.

Τhe policy of the companies is clear: Uniform products with uniform taste. Products addicted to certain chemicals. The Mediterranean agricultural landscape must disappear. The memory of the era of people must be erased. The consumers must be prepared for the new enterprise of the companies. The genetically modified foods. The volcano of the nutritional safety of humanity which still burns at the Mediterranean, must be quenched. Humanity, must be totaly dependent to the companies for anything concerning its nutrition. Welcome to the planet of the companies.

Within a decade, Greece lost 200 varieties of wheat, 7 varieties of pear-tree, 5 varieties of apple tree, 100 varieties of corn, 5 varieties of tomato, etc. The same happens with the animals. The kretian bee race, dozens races of pigs, sheep, goats, hens, cows, rabbits, disappeared. Thousands other species are under extinction. Even horses: the tourists in the Mediterranean today ride english horses. Ιn Italy, the situation is the same. We don't have accurate information about the situation in the Balkans and Turkey. It is obvious that this cannot be continued. The destruction must stop before it's too late. A new ecological movement must be born in the Mediterranean. Greeks, Italians, Balkans, Turcs, Spaniards, must be placed on the frontline. The ecological organizations must understand that it is not enough to support only the organic cultivations in order to stop the attack of chemistry. Even those cultivations with the current certification regulation of E.U. play, unintentionally, the game of the companies.

The organic products are certified only on the basis of the chemicals they use and not on the basis of the local varieties-races, thus opening the road to the hybrids. This must change. The NGO must understand that the purgation of the Mediterranean agriculture from the addiction of chemistry means one thing for the Mediterranean: protection of the agricultural biodiversity. We must press for new certification rules for the organic agriculture. We need a consumer movement which will demand local traditional products. We need a new ecological Mediterranean movement, strong and capable to press the international decision centers. If we do not move now in order to impose the right solutions, the next generations will never forgive us. The historians of the future will write about the generation which did not resist. The generation which left the companies become the owners of the planet enslaving people. We must fight in order to protect what is not yet lost. In spite of the destruction, the history of the Mediterranean lives still in our valleys and mountains. "Kabloutsas" is still cultivated in Thrace. The red sheep still survives in Ithaca. The heavenly horses of Fergana still gallop in Thessalia. Once upon a time one of those amazing horses galloped with Alexander the Great until India. The thirty that have survived are waiting to gallop with our vision towards the future. In the name of life, history and humanity then.

• The status of Palestinian Environment under the current crises

Palestinian Hydrology Group - Palestine

Since the beginning of the Intifada in Sept. 28^th. 2000, the Israeli military authorities restricted the mobility of Palestinians by placing check-points and digging deep ditches at almost all entrance of Palestinian villages, towns and refugee camps. The siege, curfews and closures affected every aspect of life in Palestine during the past year, and espicially the water supplies. The acute water problem in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip worsened even further and water shortages have become very common, especially in rural areas. Many water networks and a huge number of roof tanks were damaged. Most towns and villages were denied access to their usual water sources and had to resort to alternative local resources putting enormous pressures on them, and thus polluting them. The movement of water transportation vehicles was also restricted, and as a result, the cost of water doubled or even tripled from what it was before Sept. 28^th. 2000. The quality of water dropped dramatically, and the health situation of the inhabitants deteriorated as a result of this situation.

In addition to the impact on water, there has been several impacts on the environment. More than 1000 trees were uprooted and hundreds of land dunums were destroyed by the Israeli army. In addition, Israeli wastewater had flooded the Palestinian land in Gaza and led to substantial loss and damage.

The strict closure prevents sold waste dump cars from using the land fills and therefore, the solidwaste accumulates in the city centers and at the middle of residential area which creates a health disasters especially in the crowded residential areas. The personnel were prohibited from going to the wastewater treatment plants to do regular maintenance and therefore, might create a huge problem.

Under the current circumstances and in light with these facts, Palestinian Environment suffers a lot. The people are suffering and the following summary is the impact on the water supply sector in all the Palestinian Districts:

Hebron district: Eight water collection wells were destroyed in the villages of Al Majaz, Taban, and Safi, east of Yata. The weels used to provide drinking water for some 200 inhabitants and their animals. The Israeli occupation authorities informed another 20 families that their cisterns will be demolished as well. The movement of water tanks on the main road was restricted and water many tank drivers were forced to empty their water on the road at road blocks as was the case at the entrance of the village of Karma near Dura. The settlers of Hebron have also destroyed many water networks especially in the old city.

In Sep. 2001, Israeli settlers poisoned a cistern in Bani Naim by throwing insecticides into the water, this action resulted in killing more than 100 sheep. More than 2000m² of the untreated wastewater of Kfar Etzion colony was channeled into the land of the neighboring Palestinian village Surif which is inhabited by more than a thousand people, this practice was repeated in the village of Jaba’. This affects the drinking water supplies, contaminates the soil and causes a health hazard to the people of the two villages as a result. The dumping also creates breeding grounds for mosquitoes and flies, increasing the potential of diseases.

Bethlehem: The amounts of water designated for the district has decreased from 730m³ to 260m³ per hour, the difference goes to the illegal Israeli settlements and military camps in the region.

Ramallah district: The Israeli army bombarded the main water reservoir in the town of Beitunia on the 22^nd. of August 2001, the walls of the reservoir were damaged and the water supplies of the town was cut of for three days. The Israeli army has also prevented the people of the village of Burqa from delivering water to the village by water tanks.

Nablus district: The villages of Beit Dajan and Beit Forik are suffered from severe water shortages as the closure continues. Drivers of water tanks were prohibited from using main roads to fetch drinking water to the villages.

Jenin district: The village of Tamun suffered from a serious water shortage as a result of the closure which was imposed on the 20^th. of August 2001. The road blocks on almost all major and minor roads are forcing water tank drivers to use long unpaved roads to fetch water. The villages east of Jenin: Jalboon, Deir Ghazal, Abu Da’if, and also Ya’bad, Fahma, and Kufur Rai’ are among the most effected in the Jenin district. people are paying 500 NIS for a tank of water instead of 100 NIS before Sept. 28^th. 2000. The Israeli military authorities prevented solid waste from being delivered to the usual disposal sites outside the city. The Israeli army destroyed the road leading to the city’s landfill, and thus garbage has become a real problem in the villages of Araba and Tamun, they are now using alternative temporary disposal sites, located in residential areas. The Israeli army has also attacked the work site at the spring of Abu Arab near the martyrs triangle destroying the only geophysics car of the Palestinian water authority.

Qalqelia district: The Israel army has prevented the people of the villages of Amatin, Far’ata, and Baqet Al Hatab from reaching their water sources, they destroyed the main water network which provides hundreds of donums of citrus fruits in the area of Beir Al Shoka with water.

Gaza Strip: Five groundwater wells for irrigation and more than 500 meters of irrigation networks were destroyed by the Israeli army over the past two months, in addition to Al Tahadi ground water well in Khan Yunis, mentioned elsewhere in this report.

• ¿MARE MORTUM?

Por Désireé Andrés y Daniel Barbé

EcoMediterrània - España

Se trata de una nueva actividad de educación ambiental incluida en el programa educativo VIU EL PORT!. Este programa está promocionado por el Puerto de Barcelona, y representa la principal actividad de EcoMediterrània en el programa internacional SeaM (Sistema de Educación Ambiental Marina).

El taller de arqueología "Mare Mortum" está dirigido al colectivo escolar y está adaptado según los niveles de educación primaria, secundaria y bachillerato. Se trata que de forma creativa los alumnos reflexionen sobre el impacto de nuestra civilización en el ecosistema Mediterráneo. Para participar en el taller los grupos, guiados por una educador ambiental, dispondrán de fichas de campo e instrumentos de exploración.

Los alumnos se ven inmersos en una aventura de exploradores desde el principio del taller. Se sitúan en un futuro indefinido, donde un grupo de arqueólogos busca pistas para descubrir qué le pasó a la última civilización mediterránea (es decir nuestra civilización que se supone ya extinguida). Las pistas que nos van desvelando los secretos de esta sociedad, son restos de objetos y materiales, que la gente de nuestra civilización vertió al mar.

El educador ambiental previamente a la actividad distribuye por lugares del Puerto y la playa un juego de 30 envases transparentes, que contienen residuos encontrados en las playas de Barcelona en diferentes estados de alteración. Así los alumnos van encontrando estos rastros que les irán revelando la forma de vida de la población, el consumo de productos, etc. Al mismo tiempo el lugar i el entorno donde se encuentre cada objeto será significativo.

Para llevar a cabo la investigación, los participantes podrán consultar los "archivos históricos" de esta ciudad (que encontraran entre las pistas), donde constaran los datos de importaciones y exportaciones de mercancías a través del Puerto, con esto podrán decidir la importancia de cada producto en la economía y en el consumo de esta sociedad, y finalmente reflexionar sobre quiénes fueron los responsables de desestabilizar esta civilización perdida.

Esta actividad hace posible que el alumno construya su propia valoración sobre la contaminación del mar, mediante su participación activa.

Por otro lado, también se trabajan procesos químicos, físicos y biológicos de transformación de los materiales vertidos en el mar:

Es importante que en una misma actividad los alumnos tengan la oportunidad de trabajar diferentes materiales (materias primas y materias transformadas), al mismo tiempo que la importancia socio-económica que estos tienen en la población y el impacto del consumo sobre el medio marino y viceversa.

Se trata de una propuesta de trabajo educativo muy diferente al análisis clásico de la contaminación en el mar, la cual cuestiona directamente nuestros hábitos de consumo en relación con el entorno.

1. Publications

The Environmental Signals 2001 report is published by the European Environment Agency (EEA). It provides a snapshot of some of the myriad pressures on the environment in the EEA's 18 member countries, the driving forces behind them and, importantly, the complex linkages between them. The annual Environmental signals reports use key socio-economic and environmental indicators to assess progress in implementing environmental policies and integrating environmental considerations into other policy sectors. Such indicators bring transparency and accountability to policy-making and create a basis for fine-tuning policies for maximum effectiveness.

The full text of Environmental signals 2001 is published on the EEA's web site at http://reports.eea.eu.int/signals-2001/index_html

The Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) has highlighted the need for reliable data and information sources to understand, forecast and combat desertification. In a step towards meeting this need, the European Union sponsored a workshop aiming at a preliminary assessment of the existing data sources and information systems with relevance to desertification. Furthermore it also looked at ways to agree on requirements needed to monitor the causes of man-induced desertification, through developing and maintaining a meta-information system.

Now Reports presented by the international researchers and experts at the conference, held in Alghero, Italy, from 9 to 11 October 1999, and summaries of views exchanged in working groups are available in one volume.

For further information, visit: http://europa.eu.int/comm/dgs/research/index_en.html

• Who´s Who in the European Union

Who´s Who in the Europe Union is an administrative guide which shows the names and directions of the official employees and the people who work in the institutions of the EU and in their agencies. The information is gathered from the data base IDEA, a yearbook in line of the official employees of the UE. This data base is managed by the office of the official publications of the European Communities and it is updated weekly. For futher information visit: http://europa.eu.int/idea/es/index.htm

• II General Assembly of MED Forum

• International Congress ECO 2001

• Global Conference on Oceans & Coasts at Rio + 10

• International Conference on Freshwater

http://www.water-2001.de

• GEF Council Meeting – NGO Consultancy

• GEF Council Meeting

• Conference on the Human Dimensions of Global Environmental Change

www.MEDForum.org