BIODIVERSITY OUR BIODIVERSITY...OUR WELL-BEING According to The Convention on Biological Diversity, biodiversity, or biological diversity, means “the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems. What is biodiversity?

WHY SHOULD WE PROTECT BIODIVERSITY? Biodiversity is our life! We need to protect biodiversity to protect ourselves. Biodiversity conservation is crucial to maintain our natural capital (composed of air, water, land). Biodiversity ensure the functioning of the ecosystems and underpins the goods and services they provide such as food, raw material, water, clean air, pollination, CO2 sequestration

• Supporting services. These are services, such as nutrient cycling and soil formation, which are needed for the production of all other services.
• Provisioning services. Products obtained from ecosystems, such as food or timber.
• Regulating services. The benefits obtained from the regulation of ecosystems, including services such as purification of water, flood control, or regulation of the climate via carbon sequestration.
• Cultural services. The benefits people obtain from ecosystems through spiritual enrichment, cognitive development, reflection. recreation, and aesthetic experiences.

MARINE BIODIVERSITY Why biodiversity is so important? Between 1993 and 2016, the abundance of vertebrate populations in the Mediterranean basin declined 20% and even by 52% in marine ecosystems (pelagic and coastal) and by 28% in freshwater ecosystems (wetlands and rivers). Tour du Valat, 2021, Living Mediterranean Report It represents the variety of living beings that populate our seas at the level of genes, species, populations and ecosystems. It is based on fragile balances. The fate of an entire ecosystem and beyond can depend on the survival of a single species. Today millions of people depend on marine resources for their livelihoods. If well managed, marine ecosystems could generate much more than one might think and be able to support communities in an even more robust way. Living on land, we too often forget that 71% of the earth’s surface is covered by the ocean. Our lives depend on the oceans’ biodiversity and ecosystems. To make a living, over three billion people rely on the economy linked to the seas. The biodiversity of Mediterranean ecosystems is exceptionally high. The Mediterranean Sea is considered a biodiversity hotspot, representing just 0.3% of the global ocean volume while hosting 7% of identified global marine species. It contains between 15,000 and 20,000 marine species, with the highest rate of endemism (20-30%) in the world. Marine fish species distribution is not homogeneous. The western end of the Mediterranean Sea, as linked to the Atlantic Ocean through the Strait of Gibraltar, has surface waters which are well oxygenated, resulting in generally higher productivity and a richer species composition.

SPECIAL STORY POSIDONIA OCEANICA The Posidonia meadows have great environmental value as they host a rich biodiversity, provide habitats for many marine species, sequestrate huge amount of CO2, and supply great quantities of oxygen and organic material. • The anchoring of boats, especially in the summer months, which sweep the seabed
• Marine pollution deriving from terrestrial sources (e.g. discharges from purification plants, which causes turbidity and impede the passage of light)
• The discharge of bilge waters of the countless ships that ply this marine area
• Sand extraction and dredging in ports
• The presence of invasive species, such as some algae, which in some areas are overwhelming the Posidonia
• Illegal, illicit or non-environmentally friendly fishing practices that ruin the seabed

SPECIAL STORY ATLANTIC BLUEFIN TUNA Bluefin are the largest tunas and can live up to 40 years. They migrate across all oceans and can dive deeper than 3,000 feet. Bluefin tunas are made for speed: built like torpedoes, have retractable fins and their eyes are set flush to their body. They are tremendous predators from the moment they hatch, seeking out schools of fish like herring, mackerel, and even eels. They hunt by sight and have the sharpest vision of any bony fish. There are three species of bluefin: Atlantic (the largest and most endangered), Pacific, and Southern. Most catches of the Atlantic bluefin tuna are taken from the Mediterranean Sea, which is the most important bluefin tuna fishery in the world (WWF)

SPECIAL STORY MEDITERRANEAN TURTLE Sea turtles are ancient mariners that have inhabited our planet for over 100 million years. Sea turtles are air-breathing, egg laying reptiles with a long-life span (they may live longer than 100 years). They are highly migratory species that spend almost all of their lives at sea. Only female adults come ashore to nest in the sand. MEDASSET is an international nonprofit organization working to protect marine and coastal habitats in the Mediterranean, with sea turtles as our flagship species (https://www.medasset. org/ )

EIGHT SELECTED MAJOR THREATS FOR THE MEDITERRANEAN ENVIRONMENT 1. Climate change affects the Mediterranean significantly more than the world average, particularly with warmer air and sea surface temperatures all year round. While the average air temperature is worldwide about 1.1°C higher than pre-industrial times, the Mediterranean temperatures are above to 1.5°C higher. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) further expects temperature increases in the region of 2 to 3°C by 2050, and 3 to 5°C by 2100.

2. Population densities in coastal areas have continued to increase at unsustainable rates over the last decade. Over 1965- 2015, urban pressures increased in 75% of Mediterranean countries; particularly, built areas doubled or more than doubled within one kilometer from the sea. Consequently, biodiversity and especially natural coastal ecosystems and their services (e.g. carbon capture, flood control) decreased in contradiction with the Barcelona Convention Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol. Urbanization also resulted in the loss of agricultural land.

3. Health impacts from atmospheric pollution are most severe in urban and port areas, with pollution measured well beyond WHO recommended standards. The low quality of fuels in some countries, emissions from ships, and high shares of aged vehicles in motor vehicle stocks contribute to explain the annual 228,000 early deaths from air pollution in Mediterranean countries.

4. Health impacts from lack of water supply and wastewater treatment facilities, particularly on the southern and eastern rims of the region, contribute to a range of diseases, undermining population well-being and labor productivity.

5. Waste and its management remains a challenge in many countries. Around 730 tonnes of plastic waste end up daily in the Mediterranean Sea. Plastic waste represents 95 to 100% of marine floating waste and 50% of litter on sea beds. In tonnage, plastic could outweigh fish stocks in the near future. Many coastal uncontrolled landfill sites are found, particularly on eastern and southern shores.

6. Fisheries practices threaten fish resources: 78% of assessed stocks are over-fished, while 18% of the catches are discarded. Fisheries represent the number one threat to fish populations in the Mediterranean Sea. Aquaculture is growing fast with high dependency on fish meal from sea catches, large nitrate and phosphorus effluents, as well as genetic modification of natural fish stocks.

7. Fossil fuels overall dominate energy supply in the Mediterranean region, with heavy environmental and health impacts (e.g. CO2, water acidification, particulate matters). An energy transition is imperative, focusing on energy efficiency and larger shares of renewable sources in the energy mix, in line with international agreements.

8. Excessive use of chemical and pharmaceutical products generate increasing concerns, particularly in northern Mediterranean countries. Only about 700 out of 70,000 chemical substances on the market have been studied for their SoED 2020 | 7 risk impacts, with focus on those used with ‘high tonnage’. Endocrine disruptors penetrate the environment directly (e.g. herbicides, insecticides and fungicides) or indirectly (e.g. metabolic degradation of pharmaceuticals through treated wastewater). They have effects on fish and amphibians, as well as on children and human reproductive health.

United Nations Environment Programme / Mediterranean Action Plan and Plan Bleu (2020). State of the Environment and Development in the Mediterranean

MAJOR THREATS TO ENDEMIC MARINE BIODIVERSITY IN THE MEDITERRANEAN Current consumption and production patterns characterized by high resource consumption and low recycling rates brings about environmental degradation in the Mediterranean region. Unsustainable practices still in place in most economic sectors pose serious threat to Mediterranean biodiversity (State of the Environment and Development in the Mediterranean, 2020) Overfishing and unsustainable fishing practices are by far the most common threat to marine fish, affecting 33% of Mediterranean native species, with an additional 18% of species being threatened by by-catch. On the other hand, marine litter (mainly plastic) - acknowledged as a major societal challenge of our times due to its environmental, economic, social, political and cultural implications - causes severe injuries and deaths to marine species, which ingest or are entangled by plastic debris.

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