Mediterranean Freshwater Fish on the Brink of Extinction

7 October 2005

The situation facing freshwater fish in the Mediterranean is clearly declining. An assessment recently released by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation reveals that seven species have gone extinct and one is extint in the wild. In total, 253 endemic freshwater fish have been assessed by expert ichthylogists in the Mediterranean region and by staff from the IUCN Freshwater Biodiversity Assessment Programme and the IUCN Red List Programme, who gathered in a five day regional evaluation workshop in Malaga last December.

COORDINATION MEETING WITH CORE SPANISH DONORS
19 September 2005, Madrid

The Ministry for Environment and the Junta of Andalucia have supported the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation since its inception. An annual meeting between the parties allows coordination of activities and exchange of views. The September 2005 meeting was the first since the change of government in 2004 and provided an opportunity to reaffirm the support of the donors for the 2005-2009 period and to discuss the programme orientation and communication activities. Other issues raised included Spain's candidacy to hold the 2008 IUCN Congress, translation of IUCN documents into Spanish, support for a European members meeting in 2006 as well as broader Mediterranean issues. IUCN is especially grateful to the Spanish core donors to IUCN-Med that allow the Centre to function effectively at regional scale.

For further information, please contact Jamie Skinner.

THE MEDITERRANEAN SEA SAFEGUARDED BY MARINE ECOSYSTEM PROTECTION PLAN
August 2005, Livorno

The Mediterranean is a place of paradox. Despite its image as vastly overpopulated and polluted, the Mediterranean is a thriving ecosystem upon which many cultures depend. It was the first region in the world to put in place a Regional Sea Programme. Now the Mediterranean is poised to lead the world towards effective conservation of large marine ecosystems, by being the first region to adopt a strategic plan for utilizing marine protected areas to safeguard the vital areas that keep the sea healthy and beneficial to coastal communities. A group of experts from the World Commission on Protected Areas - Marine Mediterranean Group in cooperation with the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation are working together to support this process which aims at implementing a region-wide system of ecologically and culturally representative network under a strategically planned, and harmoniously operated, multi-institutional framework. The process also contributes to build capacity in support of existing networks, such as the Special Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs) and Natura 2000.

For further information, please contact François Simard

BAN ON FISHERIES AT DEPTHS BEYOND 1000 m. CAME INTO FORCE IN THE MEDITERRANEAN
15 September 2005, Roma

The Mediterranean-wide ban on the use of towed dredges and trawl nets at depths beyond 1000 m has recently come into force. This important measure was based on a comprehensive study on the status of deep sea fishing in the Mediterranean developed by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and WWF in a wide-reaching consultation process with relevant regional specialists. This recommendation is part of the eight measures that have been adopted over the second week of September 2005 by the 24 countries of FAO'S General Fisheries Commissions (GFCM) and are now to be enforced at national level by all GFCM members. Sea water below 1000 metres depth is a poorly known ecosystem. This general approach of preventing an extension of fishing practices as a precautionary measure is therefore in line with Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) recommendations. The Members of GFCM will have to notify the GFCM's Executive Secretary, each year, with a report on the implementation of the management measures adopted at national level.

For further information, please contact François Simard

PROTECTED AREAS IN EGYPT: AN ASSET FOR PEOPLE AND NATURE
9 September 2005, Egypt

The protected areas of Egypt are without a doubt a great asset to Egypt and every effort to improve their management effectiveness should be supported and encouraged. Egypt's Nature Conservation Sector (NCS) has made great progress in establishing a system of Protected Areas that is representative of the country's biodiversity. However, further effort is needed to ensure that those areas are effectively managed, sustainably funded and contribute to the livelihoods of communities living in and around them. To support the efforts of the Government of Egypt in this endeavor, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed on 5th November 2003 between the Government of the Italian Republic and the Government of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the implementation of the "Phase II of the Egyptian-Italian Environmental Cooperation Program". Within this three year programme, IUCN was entrusted by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) as a technical partner with the implementation of the programme's activities. The aim of this programme is to enhance the institutional capacity of the Nature Conservation Sector (NCS) of the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency for planning and implementing nature conservation activities on a sustainable basis.

MEMBER NEWS from the Union Nationale de la Femme Tunisienne - Tunisia
WOMEN AND ENVIRONMENT IN TUNISIA
September 2005, Tunisia

The Union Nationale de la Femme Tunisienne (UNFT) is a non-governmental national organization which aims at promoting women rights and gender equity and equality. The UNFT also supports the role of women in the socio-economic development of the country by educating and informing women and stimulating their participation in decision-making processes and in other cultural and social institutions. Environmental protection is also a key area of work for this NGO. Through a programme named 'Alliance Femme et Environnement', they have been developing a range of activities such as field conservation projects, public awareness campaigns and solidarity actions in order to preserve biodiversity and improve women quality of life and enable them to play an enhanced role in sustainable development.
Most of these projects highlight the hidden chest of knowledge and experience in managing and conserving natural resources that rural women have in Tunisia and how this traditional knowledge can help combat desertification, value medicinal plants and support ecotourism and eco-products. Examples include: women in Jradou supported by UNFT are part of a project to create and elaborate new eco-products such as 'esparto green packaging' based upon traditional knowledge in order to improve their incomes. In Oued Laabid, women are trained and equipped on how to distill medicinal plants: you can now see women showing their products extracted from aromatic and medicinal plants in their villages. Other projects focus on plastic waste, use of renewable energies and environmental education.
All in all, the ultimate environmental goal for this NGO is to show that women are an indispensable partner in achieving sustainable development.