The Mediterranean Sea Case Study has examined how 2030 biodiversity targets (such as 30:30) and climate change targets (Paris Agreement and EU Climate Law) are represented within the Mediterranean region and to what extent they are integrated into Mediterranean fisheries policies.
Summary of findings
Biodiversity targets
Barcelona Convention’s post-2020 SAPBIO is the overarching biodiversity framework aligning the Barcelona Convention system with the Global Biodiversity Framework under the Convention on Biological Biodiversity. This alignment extends to the EU’s Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 and so also the European Green Deal. Both Barcelona Convention and the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs – GFCM and ICCAT) are committed to 30:30 targets.
However, the 10% strict protection target from the EU Biodiversity Strategy for 2030 has not been adopted at the Mediterranean level.
The Mediterranean biodiversity policies are integrated with the main overarching fisheries policy, which is GFCM 2030 Strategy. This strategy mentions only global level policies explicitly, but it is clear that its elaboration was done in close cooperation with the SAPBIO: post-2020 SAPBIO and GFCM 2030 Strategy are aligned in their objectives and timelines, as well as their assessment deadlines, even if assessments are performed separately. UNEP/MAP, as Barcelona Convention’s Secretariat, has a signed Memorandum of Understanding with GFCM, which is the basis for their cooperation. Both GFCM and ICCAT, as the other relevant RFMO, also work with temporal and spatial fishery closures, with particularly GFCM working on a variety of Fishery Restricted Areas, some of which are also being considered to be recognised as Other Effective Conservation Measures and so contribute to 30:30 targets.
Climate change targets
Climate change does not yet have a dedicated overarching policy at the level of the Mediterranean. UNEP/MAP is actively mainstreaming climate change topics into their policies. Currently, climate change topics are dispersed among different Regional Activity Centres (RAC) of the Barcelona Convention, with Plan Bleu RAC currently hosting Mediterranean climate change assessment. By the end of 2025, a new RAC will be established just on climate change. At the same time, the Barcelona Convention’s Ecosystem Approach and Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme, which mirror the EU’s MSFD system are being revised, integrating climate change considerations. This partly also includes coordination with GFCM and possible inclusion of considerations of climate change impacts on fisheries.
On the fisheries side, GFCM is also starting to integrate climate change considerations, with the setting up of climate change expert groups to advise them. ICCAT already has a functioning climate change expert group. Therefore, while the global commitments, such as the Paris Agreement are binding for the Mediterranean states, this has not yet been translated into direct Mediterranean level policies, like the EGD’s EU Climate Law.
Progresses
GFCM actions have led to an impressive 31% decrease in overexploited stocks across the Mediterranean in the last decade. GFCM has also established some new and in parts strongly protected Fishery Restricted Areas, which are in the process of being recognized as Other Effective Conservation Measures.
Within the MedByCatch and Depredation projects, Barcelona Convention and GFCM collaborated and managed to prepare both new/updated species actions plans and fishery decisions in GFCM.