North-Western Mediterranean (NW-MED)#
Q 34 - How to achieve the strict protection area target of 10% by 2030 in marine areas?
Q 38 - How to address ecological functionalities in conservation objectives?
Q 17 - How to identify priority areas for conservation of pelagic biodiversity?
Q 7 - How to protect deep Vulnerable marine Ecosystems (VMEs) (strategies, measures, etc.)?
Q 49 - How to manage cross-border MPAs for cetaceans conservation?
Description#
The Northwest Mediterranean (NW-Med) test site covers a cross-border area shared between three countries, France, Monaco and Italy, extending from the Gulf of Lion in France to the coast of Tuscany in Italy (Fig 21). It covers 130,000 km2 of sea area, consisting of coastal, offshore and deep-sea parts (internal sea waters, territorial sea waters and EEZ).The test site is at sub-sea basin scale with an important cross-border component (French, Italian and Monégasque EEZs in the Western Mediterranean Sea). It encompasses different spatial scales in terms of MPA management: from the local scale characterising small MPAs to the transnational and cross-border level of the Pelagos Sanctuary and governance complexity. Thus, there is a need to address management of the different spatial scales, from the small MPA to the transboundary level. The following are key characteristic features of the test site: Governance complexity as area is shared between 3 countries; Large spatial scale; Diversity of marine domains; Multiplicity of human activities. Key blue sectors in the test site encompass fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, renewables.
Sources
Matczak et al. (2024) Test Sites Methodology Including the Participation Strategy (Deliverable – D5.2., under the WP5 of MSP4BIO project (GA n° 101060707))