Ongoing unsustainable fishing, tourism, plastic and chemical pollution, and a rapid coastal development are causing a dramatic decline and loss of marine species and the destruction of fragile habitats in the Mediterranean. The increasing effects of climate change and future trends in development at sea are added threats to the ecological and economic resilience of the whole region. As a response, Mediterranean countries signed the CBD Aichi Target 11 committing to protect at least 10% of their waters with the creation of effective Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

WWF & Sky Ocean Rescue present European and Member State decision makers with an assessment of the EU’s progress to effectively protect at least 10% of its marine and coastal areas by 2020, in accordance with its commitments to the Convention on Biological Diversity Aichi target 11 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14.