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).

The WWF European Policy Office commissioned an assessment of the actions taken by European Unioni countries to implement conservation policies and create an effective and well-managed network of MPAs. We undertook an analysis of the status of designation, the level of management implementation and of the ecological coherence of the existing network.