WWF says Med states falling short in marine environment protection

The World Wildlife Fund has indicated huge shortcomings in the protection of the Mediterranean’s marine and coastal environment, despite commitments made in recent years by countries in the region.

According to the WWF, only 2.48 percent of the Mediterranean is designated as marine protected areas (MPAs), well below the minimum target of 10 percent set for 2020 in both United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 14 and the Convention on Biological Diversity’s Aichi Target 11.

Although the Mediterranean accounts for only 0.8 percent of the world’s seas in volume, it hosts an impressive number of species and is considered one of the 25 most important biodiversity areas in the world.