Other regional and global instruments and processes
Additional regulatory instruments, processes and commissions complementary to the Barcelona Convention system, have been put in place by international unions or bodies in order to address environmental and natural resource issues affecting the Mediter- ranean Sea.
Since 1949, the General Fisheries Commission of the Mediterra- nean (GFCM) has been promoting the development, conserva- tion, rational management, and best utilisation of living marine resources, as well as the sustainable development of aquaculture in the Mediterranean, Black Sea, and connecting waters. Of the 21 Mediterranean coastal states, 20 are now members of the GFCM. Another international regulatory body that issues policies relevant for the Mediterranean area is the International Commis- sion for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas (ICCAT), which issues recommendations aiming at ensuring the maximum sustainable catch. The Secretariat of UNEP/MAP Barcelona Convention and the GFCM signed an MoU in May 2012, to further their shared goals and objectives in relation to the conservation of marine environment and ecosystems and the sustainable use of marine living and other natural resources in their fields of competence.
Several international conventions and agreements are relevant for the environment and management of the Mediterranean Sea. At the global level the most important one is the United Nations Con- vention of the Law of the Sea covering many aspects of the marine environment. Many other conventions are also relevant includ- ing those dealing specifically with marine pollution (i.e. MARPOL 73/78, London Convention), chemical pollution (i.e. Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam Conventions) and biodiversity (i.e. Conven- tion on Biological Diversity, Ballast Water Convention, Bonn and RAMSAR Conventions). At the regional level under the Bonn Con- vention, and developed with the cooperation of the Secretariats of the Barcelona Convention and the Bern Convention, ACCOBAMS (Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea Mediterranean Sea and Contiguous Atlantic Area) is a cooperative tool to reduce threats to cetaceans in Mediterranean and Black Sea waters and improve the knowledge of these animals.
Further at the European level European Union Member States that are Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention are also bound by the different policy instruments issued by the Euro- pean Commission like the Integrated Maritime Policy, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (which also uses the Ecosystem Approach framework and stretches its application across the whole marine environment), the Common Fisheries Policy, the
Regional Plans on reduction or elimination of substances or their inputs in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol
Regional Plan on POPs3
Issues covered
Coastal ecosystems and landscapes Pollution Eutrophication Marine litter Marine noise Non-indigenous species Commercially exploited fish and shellfish Seafloor integrity Hydrographical conditions Marine food webs Biodiversity
1. Regional Plan on the reduction of inputs of Mercury in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol 2. Regional Plan on the reduction of BOD5 in the food sector in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol 3. Regional Plan on the elimination in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol, 1996 of Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane; Beta hexachlorocyclohexane; Hexabromobiphenyl; Chlorde- cone; Pentachlorobenzene; Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenyl ether; Hexabromodiphenyl ether and Heptabromodiphenyl ether; Lindane; Endosulfan, Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its salts and perfluorooactane sulfonyl fluoride 4. Regional Plan on the phasing out of Hexabromodiphenyl ether, Heptabromodiphenyl ether, Tetrabromodiphenyl ether and Pentabromodiphenil ether in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol
5. Regional Plan on the phasing out of Lindane and Endosulfan in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol 6. Regional Plan on the phasing out of Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid, its Salts and Perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol 7. Regional Plan on the elimination of Alpha hexachlorocyclohexane, Beta hexachlorocyclohexane, Chlordecone, Hexabromobiphenyl, Pentachlorobenzene in the framework of the implementation of Article 15 of the LBS Protocol
Regional Plan on Mercury1
Regional Plan on BOD52
Regional Plan on Polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs)4
Regional Plan on Lindane and Endosulfan5
Perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS), its salts and Perfluorooctane sulfonyl fluoride (PFOSF)6
Regional Plan on
Hexabromobiphenyl, Pentachlorobenzene7
Regional Plan on Alpha-HCH, Beta- HCH, Chlordecone,
REGULATORY FRAMEWORK, MAJOR FINDINGS AND GAPS AND NEXT STEPS IN THE ECOSYSTEM APPROACH