Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife

Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife
Name	Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife
Type	environmental protection; biodiversity conservation; maritime treaty
Signed	1982
Location signed	Barcelona
Parties	United Kingdom; France; Italy; Spain; Greece; Turkey; Algeria; Tunisia; Libya; Morocco; others
Effective	1986
Depositor	United Nations Environment Programme

Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife is a regional environmental agreement negotiated under the aegis of the Barcelona Convention to protect marine and coastal biodiversity in the Mediterranean Sea. The instrument complements multilateral frameworks such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, aligning regional conservation with global commitments. Negotiations involved states bordering the Mediterranean, non-governmental organizations including World Wide Fund for Nature, and scientific bodies like the International Union for Conservation of Nature.

Background and Adoption

The protocol emerged from diplomatic and technical processes involving the United Nations Environment Programme, the Council of Europe, and the Food and Agriculture Organization following rising concern after environmental events such as the Amoco Cadiz oil spill and the Torrey Canyon incident. Key actors included delegations from Egypt, Cyprus, and Malta alongside Western European delegations from Germany, Portugal, and Netherlands. Scientific input came from institutions such as the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, the CNRS, and the Mediterranean Science Commission (CIESM). Adoption ceremonies featured ministerial representation similar to treaties like the Montreal Protocol and the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer.

Objectives and Scope

The protocol sets objectives comparable to the Convention on Migratory Species and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety by aiming to establish a network of specially protected areas and to safeguard threatened species. Geographic scope focuses on the basin delimited by borders of Algeria, Syria, and Lebanon to the east and Spain to the west, interfacing with regional schemes like those under the European Union and instruments such as the Nairobi Convention. Target taxa align with listings similar to CITES Appendices and species addressed in works like those of Rachel Carson and institutions like the Zoological Society of London.

Key Provisions and Obligations

Obligations reflect conservation modalities seen in the Nairobi Declaration and include establishment of national protected-area systems modeled after frameworks by the National Park Service (United States), designation procedures akin to the World Heritage Convention, and prohibitions on activities that harm designated sites analogous to measures in the Antarctic Treaty System. Parties commit to develop management plans, regulate fisheries with reference to advice from the International Commission for the Conservation of Atlantic Tunas, control pollution drawing on the OSPAR Convention approach, and protect cetaceans and seabirds as in the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans of the Black Sea, Mediterranean Sea and contiguous Atlantic area.

Implementation and Institutional Framework

Implementation relies on coordination among entities such as the United Nations Environment Programme Regional Seas Programme, the Barcelona Convention Secretariat, and national authorities modeled after ministries like the Ministry of Environment (France) and agencies such as the Environment Agency (England and Wales). Institutional mechanisms include regular meetings of the contracting parties similar to sessions of the Conference of the Parties (CBD), scientific and technical committees comparable to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change working groups, and cooperation with organizations like UNESCO and BirdLife International for site nominations and monitoring.

Protected Areas and Species Lists

Designation procedures produce lists akin to the List of World Heritage Sites and the Ramsar List, encompassing habitats such as the Posidonia oceanica meadows, Cetaceans of the Mediterranean including populations studied by Jacques Cousteau's teams, and bird species tracked by enthusiasts from organizations like the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Species protection echoes listings in the Bern Convention and involves taxa studied at institutions such as the Natural History Museum, London and the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (Paris). Designated sites feature coastal lagoons, estuaries, and offshore canyons comparable to areas highlighted in the IUCN Red List.

Compliance, Monitoring, and Enforcement

Compliance mechanisms draw on practices from the International Maritime Organization, including reporting obligations reminiscent of those under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. Monitoring employs scientific methods from institutions like the Plymouth Marine Laboratory and satellite tools used by European Space Agency programs. Enforcement coordinators work with regional fisheries bodies such as the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean and legal instruments similar to those in the Basel Convention for hazardous discharges.

Impact, Criticism, and Amendments

The protocol influenced regional conservation comparable to outcomes from the Habitat Directive and the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, prompting collaboration with projects funded by the European Investment Bank and recipients like UNDP. Criticisms echo debates seen in analyses of the Kyoto Protocol and Paris Agreement regarding implementation gaps, resource constraints noted by World Bank studies, and sovereignty concerns articulated by scholars at Oxford University and Harvard University. Subsequent amendments and protocols revise procedures in line with evolving standards from bodies such as the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity and technical recommendations by ICES and CIESM.

Category:Environmental treaties Category:Mediterranean Sea