300 marine environment and MPAs stakeholders engaged with the have participated to the second Mediterranean MPA Forum and released the Tangier Declaration

MedPAN, RAC/SPA, the Moroccan Haut Commissariat aux Eaux et Forêts et à la Lutte contre la Diversification and many other partners organized the 2nd forum of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean in Tangiers, Morocco, from 28 November to 1 December 2016.

300 marine environment and MPAs stakeholders took part to the event in order to exchange experiences and to find solutions to better conserve the Mediterranean by 2020 while supporting local economies.

They released the Tangier declaration that will be used to update the 2020 MPA Roadmap elaborated at the 2012 MPA Forum in Antalya. This Roadmap aims to support the achievement of the international objective set by the Convention on Biological Diversity to protect 10% of the Mediterranean Sea through an effective network of MPAs by 2020.

The participants released the Tangier Declaration after having reviewed the MPA progress achieved in the last 4 years, discussed the remaining challenges to 2020, considered recent global, regional and sub-regional marine policy developments regarding the ecosystem approach, sustainable development and climate change issues, and considered the recommendations from the different sessions of the Forum.

The Roadmap will be updated with the most recent institutional framework and a new strategic objective related to the role of MPAs as a marine spatial management tool in supporting ecosystem-based adaptation and mitigation to climate change.  Key operational and action-oriented steps, will also be considered, to improve and help achieving the Roadmap objectives by 2020.

Example of steps to be considered for the Roadmap update

Efforts to effectively conserve at least 10% of the Mediterranean Sea by 2020, need to be boosted for coastal and marine areas and thereafter for the open seas.

• The coverage and implementation of no-entry, no-take and no-fishing zones, within either existing or future MPAs, needs to be increased from the current coverage of 0.04% of the Mediterranean Sea to reach at least 2% of no-take zones, especially in key functional areas.
• All MPA sites currently established should benefit from the necessary support for effective, equitable and efficient management by 2020.
• Exchange of experience, best practices and knowledge among MPA managers, should be strengthened.
• Win-win relationships of MPAs with decision-makers, donors and private sector need to be created in order to respond to pressures beyond MPA borders, while considering MPAs as a natural capital and a management instrument to reach sustainability targets.
• The Trust Fund for Mediterranean MPAs, an innovative financial mechanism, is supported.
• The crucial role of regional and inter-regional cooperation among human networks working on MPAs, Regional Seas Conventions and relevant regional organizations is recognized.

The Tangier Declaration includes 33 steps.

For more information, and to download the Forum documentation, please visit the following website.