@techreport{Schröder2024,

title = {Mapping the Impact of Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean: Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems},

author = {C. Schröder and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and A. Teixidor and G. Costa and R. Galán and L. Prieto and G. Balestracci and M.A. Kuhn and P. Marín and A. Martín and C. Numa and A. Sciacca},

url = {https://www.etc.uma.es/wp-content/uploads/Mapping-the-Impact-of-Blue-Tourism-in-the-Mediterranean-web.pdf},

year  = {2024},

date = {2024-09-03},

abstract = {The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation with the support of ETC-UMA in the framework of the Blue Tourism Initiative, has released a comprehensive report entitled “Mapping the Impact of Blue Tourism in the Mediterranean: Vulnerability Assessment of Coastal and Marine Ecosystems.” This groundbreaking report reveals how tourism is affecting the Mediterranean’s coastal and marine ecosystems and provides actionable recommendations to promote sustainable blue tourism practices.



The spatial assessment identifies highly vulnerable regions in the Mediterranean, focusing on cumulative tourism pressures and the lack of protected ecologically sensitive areas. Regions such as Cádiz and Malaga in Spain, Antalya and Hatay in Türkiye, Girona and Menorca, Annaba Province in Algeria, and Trieste Province in Italy face high tourism pressures and low protection levels. Even regions with relatively high protection levels still experience significant tourism pressures, while Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries with low protection levels are extremely vulnerable.



Among its key findings and highlights, we can find the threats to Posidonia oceanica, a unique Mediterranean seagrass, which is under significant threat from leisure boat anchoring. This vital habitat, covering approximately 19,482 square kilometers, provides essential ecosystem services such as carbon sequestration, coastal protection, and habitat provision. The report highlights the pressures from harmful fishing practices and anchoring, especially near major tourist centers. The analysis shows a seasonal increase in leisure boat traffic, with a notable rise in the post-pandemic period.



The report also addresses the threat of vessel collisions with whales in the Northwest Mediterranean. This area is critical for fin whales, hosting up to 70% of the Mediterranean population and significant feeding grounds. It also supports around 50% of the Mediterranean sperm whale population during the summer. The heavy maritime traffic, including goods shipping, passenger transport, and cruise tourism, significantly increases the risk of ship strikes.},

keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Tourism, Transboundary management},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{UNEP-MAP2020,

title = {SoED 2020 : State of Environment and Development in Mediterranean},

author = {UNEP-MAP and Plan-Bleu and D. Abdul-Malak and A. I. Marín and C. Schröder and A. Sánchez-Espinosa},

url = {https://planbleu.org/en/soed-2020-state-of-environment-and-development-in-mediterranean/},

year  = {2020},

date = {2020-12-01},

abstract = {The SoED provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of environment and development interactions in the Mediterranean region. The 2020 version consists of eight thematic chapters and is complemented by two summary papers: Summary for Decision Makers and Key Messages. Topics covered include: socio-economic drivers and trends; climate change; biodiversity and ecosystem services; economic activities and related pressures; coastal dynamics and related impacts; food and water security; health and environment; and governance.},

keywords = {Biodiversity, Climate Change, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}

@techreport{Gomei2019,

title = {Towards 2020: how Mediterranean countries are performing to protect their sea},

author = {M. Gomei and A. Abdulla and C. Schröder and S. Yadav and A. Sánchez-Espinosa and D. Rodríguez-Rodríguez and D. Abdul-Malak},

url = {https://d2ouvy59p0dg6k.cloudfront.net/downloads/towards2020_report_nov2019.pdf},

year  = {2019},

date = {2019-11-01},

keywords = {Biodiversity, Conservation and management, Environmental conservation, Marine protected areas, Mediterranean sea, Pressures, Protected areas},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {techreport}

}