As part of its work to foster cooperation around biodiversity protection and restoration, last March the UfM supported the launch of the innovative partnership “Mediterranean Consortium to protect Biodiversity,” bringing together the skills, experience, know-how and scientific knowledge of six key regional UfM partners: MedWet (the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative of Ramsar), MedPan (Mediterranean Protected Areas Network), PIM (Mediterranean Small Islands Initiative), Tour du Valat (TdV), AIFM (International Association for Mediterranean Forests) and IUCN-Med (IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation). The Consortium will develop a regional vision with a common goal and promote the integration of sustainable development with concrete conservation actions and initiatives.
The UfM, the statement added, supports several projects to safeguard biodiversity, including Plastic Siena University-led Busters MPAs project in Italy which?tackles marine litter in the Mediterranean, with the overall goal of maintaining biodiversity and preserving natural ecosystems in pelagic and coastal marine protected areas (MPAs). The second project is the Scaling Up Forest and Landscape Restoration, implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization, and aims to restore biodiversity and promote joint mitigation and adaptation approaches through regional platforms, technical assistance and pilot activities applying appropriate forest and landscape restoration.
These initiatives were born from Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Declarations on the Blue Economy. The latest UfM Sustainable Blue Economy Ministerial of February 2021, to which all 42 Member States have committed, laid the foundation for a Mediterranean roadmap to bring national climate action to the regional level, and further to the international level at the next UN Biodiversity Convention in October 2021.
The Blue Economy Agenda brings together the economic potential of the Mediterranean Sea with the need to integrate environmental sustainability into the way we harness these opportunities. In addition, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the regional marine litter management plan and to achieving the collection and recycling of 100% of plastic waste.
Source: Jordan News Agency