The MedFund approves a new financial support of 1 million euros for MPAs in the Mediterranean Sea
Monaco
On October 27th, 2020, the MedFund Board of Directors approved the funding for three new marine protected areas for a period of 5 years: Jbel Moussa and Al Hoceima in Morocco and Gokova in Turkey.
This support will be granted to local civil society organizations working alongside national agencies in charge of protected areas. It contributes to the financing of activities essential to the management of these natural areas in order to preserve the marine ecosystems and the local populations that depend on them.
These sites come in addition to the 5 marine protected areas already benefiting from MedFund: the marine protected areas of the Kuriat Islands, Galite, Kneiss, and Zembra in Tunisia and the Karaburun Sazan national park in Albania.
In a global context shaken by a combined health and economic crises, The MedFund allows to maintain on the field the teams working for the protection of 3000 km2 of Mediterranean maritime areas.
The MedFund is financially supported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the French Facility for Global Environment (FFEM), the Agence Française de Développement (AFD), the Government of Monaco, and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation.
"Effective management of the Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) is a condition for ensuring sustainable protection of marine biodiversity. Since it requires significant and sustainable financial and technical resources, France, Monaco, Tunisia and Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation created in 2015, an environmental fund dedicated to Mediterranean MPAs" The MedFund.
By strengthening the management of existing MPAs and the sustainable use of marine and coastal resources, The MedFund contributes to the protection of some of the most sensitive marine areas in the Mediterranean Sea. Our goal is to support 7000km² of MPAs in 7 Mediterranean countries by 2025.
· The Al Hoceima National Park is a protected area of 480 km², located on the northeast coast of Morocco, 350km east of Tangier. Its high cliffs are home to a large population of Osprey, and its rocky cliffs make it a highly valued fishing area whose resource is to be preserved. The Moroccan organization AGIR will work alongside the national park and the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries to implement a sustainable management plan for the marine area, strongly involving institutional actors and local fishermen.
· The site of Jbel Moussa, in Morocco, in the Strait of Gibraltar, has been identified by the Moroccan authorities as a site of major biological interest covering 322km². Its landscape of rocky shores, alternating caves, creeks and small beaches is home to an exceptional natural terrestrial and marine heritage. In support of the Moroccan Ministry of Agriculture and Maritime Fisheries, the organization GREPOM-Birdlife Maroc will develop the management activities necessary to preserve this new marine protected area.
· The Bay of Gokova, on the southern coast of Turkey, is one of Turkey's 31 marine protected areas. This vast area of high biological diversity covers 827km² of marine and 270km² of land, in a region heavily dependent on fishing and tourism. The Turkish association Mediterranean Conservation Society is working in collaboration with the Turkish Ministry of Environment to ensure the conservation of resources and the effective management of the marine protected area in the long term.
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