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Overview

Threats

WWF's Involvement

WWF Achievements

Selected WWF Projects in the Mediterranean Region


Archaelogical remains show that there once were lush forests throughout the area, where now often only shrub or desert remains.

 
Overview header

Known as the cradle of civilization, the Mediterranean region has been subject to human intervention for millennia, so that little remains of indigenous ecosystems. Yet the region is still an important biological resource. What exactly is the "Mediterranean region"? In countries such as France, one cannot consider the entire territory as being typically "Mediterranean". On the other hand, countries such as Jordan or Portugal which do not have a coastline, share enough characteristics with the countries of the region to be considered "Mediterranean". For the UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme), the Mediterranean region is determined by nature's borders of the "olive tree line". However, a number of issues inevitably have to be tackled at a national level. WWF's Mediterranean programme takes a pragmatic approach, considering all the countries touching the Mediterranean as well as Portugal and Jordan.

The Mediterranean Sea covers 2,500,000km2 with an average depth of 1,500 metres the deepest point being over 5,000 metres in the part known as the Ionian sea, between Greece and the "foot" of Italy. The coastline extends 46,000km running through 22 countries.

coastline The region is known for its particularly mild climate with uniform and moderate temperatures. Rainfall patterns are however, more unpredictable with a high of 1,200mm per year in Genoa (Italy) to a low of 100mm per year in Djerba (Tunisia). Precipitation in the southern Mediterranean follows a cyclical pattern of excessively dry periods and sudden rain showers on dry soils leading to considerable soil erosion.

Around its coasts are lands rich in endemic species. The variety of flora is estimated at over 25,000 species, over half of which are endemic. Turkey and Greece alone contain a large proportion of endemic plants, which represent a wealth not only of natural beauty but also of potential medicinal and culinary properties.

The major rivers of the region have generated invaluable wetlands such as the deltas of the Nile, the Ebro, or the Rhone. These nutrient-rich wetlands attract an estimated two to five billion migratory birds each year. Yet, only approximately six per cent of wetlands previously known to have existed in Roman times remain.

Similarly, forest cover has been greatly reduced throughout the long history of human settlement. It is estimated that only five per cent of the Mediterranean region is covered in forests, mainly concentrated on the northern shore. Archaeological remains show that there once were lush forests throughout the area, where now often only shrub or desert remains. These forest areas were particularly important in protecting the fragile soil from excessive dry spells and water erosion from torrential rains. Unfortunately, largely because of human pressure and agriculture, they have been removed, and the desolation of some Mediterranean landscapes bear witness to the important stabilizing role they had to play.

Although the Mediterranean sea covers only one per cent of the world's marine areas, it contains some six per cent of its marine species. Some of the world's most endangered species, such as the monk seal, can be found in the Mediterranean. Fish stocks are down to 20 per cent of natural levels in some areas, and the Mediterranean is now a net importer of fish.

In 1975, the bordering countries of the Mediterranean area decided to unite in protecting their common natural patrimony and established the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP). This in turn led to the development of a number of specific conventions notably the Barcelona Convention in 1976 and legal mechanisms to tackle the various influences on the Mediterranean. However, in practice little has been achieved, and there now is a pressing need to protect existing habitats and urgently reverse destructive trends.