<
https://www.unep.org/unepmap/news/press-release/unepmap-welcomes-announcement-protected-area-porto-palermo-bay-albania>
"Athens, 2 September 2022—The Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP/MAP) welcomes the decision of the Albanian
authorities (dated 29 July 2022) to declare the Porto-Palermo Bay a "Nature
Park". The protected area in Porto-Palermo Bay comprises marine and coastal
landscapes and covers a total area of 1,694.98 hectares including 1,490.4
hectares of protected marine area. The site encompasses a "core zone", a
"traditional use and sustainable development zone" and a "recreational zone".
The core zone, which represents a remarkable 25 per cent, is subject to the
highest level of protection with strict measures aimed at preserving
biodiversity. This is a major achievement in the Mediterranean where “no-take
zones” represent a paltry 0.04 per cent of the total basin area.
Porto-Palermo Bay thus becomes the second declared marine protected area in
Albania. The protection measures it will host constitute an important
contribution to the Mediterranean-specific conservation targets set out in the
Post-2020 Strategic Action Programme for the conservation of biodiversity and
sustainable management of natural resources in the Mediterranean region
(Post-2020 SAPBIO) and the Post-2020 Regional Strategy for marine and coastal
protected areas (MCPAs) and other effective area-based conservation measures
(OECMs) in the Mediterranean, two landmark instruments adopted at COP 22 of the
Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region
of the Mediterranean (Barcelona Convention) and its Protocols, which was held
on 7-10 December 2021, in Antalya, Türkiye.
“Porto-Palermo Bay is a unique site in Albania and is home to threatened
species included in Annex II of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected
Areas and Biological Diversity to the Barcelona Convention,” said Khalil Attia,
Director of SPA/RAC, the Regional Activity Centre of UNEP/MAP specializing in
the protection of marine and coastal biodiversity.
Marine threatened species that will receive protection in Porto-Palermo Bay
include the Mediterranean endemic seagrass
Posidonia oceanica, the Loggerhead
Sea Turtle
Caretta caretta, the noble pen shell
Pinna nobilis, and the
common dolphin
Delphinus delphis. On land, SPA/RAC experts also point to the
presence of the tree spurge
Euphorbia dendroides, which is considered unique
in Albania, as well as forests of the Valonia oak
Quercus macrolepis,
considered as a relict species of the Ionian coast dating back to the Tertiary
period, are also covered by the newly introduced conservation measures."
Via
Future Crunch Sep 23, 2022:
<
https://futurecrunch.com/good-news-aids-ocean-indonesia-clean-air-spain/>
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
