IUCN, the International Union for Conservation of Nature

The Alboran Sea continues transnational work for the conservation of its biodiversity and sustainability

24 March 2009 | News story

The Alboran Sea is the most western part of the Mediterranean, and is situated in the centre of the geological region, the Gibraltar Arc.

As it is the gateway to the Mediterranean Sea and the point of contact between Africa and Europe, the Alboran is a very unique maritime area. Furthermore, it is a path which must be taken by many migratory animals (land and marine), and the route for maritime transport between the Atlantic and the Mediterranean.

The Alboran Sea is considered to be an area of great geopolitical, strategic and scientific importance, and additionally, it is the dynamic motor for the biodiversity of the western Mediterranean, given the importance of its ecosystems and biodiversity. For these reasons, the Alboran Sea is an area which deserves to be protected and well managed.

Algeria, Spain and Morocco are continuing to work in collaboration with IUCN for the protection of the Alboran Sea, thus making progress in Mediterranean transnational cooperation.

From the 16 to 18 April, the 2^nd International Meeting on the Conservation and Sustainable Development of the Alboran Sea will be held in the city of Oujda (Morocco).

The aim of this second meeting, which governments, international organizations and experts from these three countries are planned to attend, is to strengthen the Alboran movement which was created in 2007.

In order to do this, an effort is being made to try and promote the process of sharing information between all actors and stakeholders in the Alboran area; study problems and solutions of the region in depth; identify and discuss priorities for improving the management and governance of this area; and lastly, to consider an Action Plan and discuss possible action measures for the Alboran.

In the long term, the Alboran project is trying to create conditions and build the necessary bases for establishing joint management of the area in the future. So as to ensure biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of its resources, it is necessary to draft and implement a shared management plan between the countries surrounding this sea.

In recent years, one of the areas IUCN has been working on is international maritime traffic, since this is what is posing the greatest risks to biodiversity. Due to the possibility of a maritime traffic incident, the Alboran Sea is one of the most threatened areas of the Mediterranean.