Addressing Restoration of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems in the Mediterranean: Building Together for a Common Goal

27 January 2026, online. The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM), together with IUCN and MedPAN, co-organised the webinar “Addressing Restoration of Marine and Coastal Ecosystems in the Mediterranean: Building Together for a Common Goal”. The event brought together policymakers, practitioners, researchers, and regional stakeholders to discuss how ecosystem restoration can respond to the Mediterranean’s growing climate and biodiversity challenges.

The Mediterranean is warming around 20% faster than the global average, and many ecosystems are under pressure: half of natural wetlands and roughly one-third of posidonia meadows have disappeared over the past 50 years. Participants emphasised that restoring marine and coastal habitats is essential not only for biodiversity but also for protecting coastal communities and increasing resilience.

The discussions moved around passive and active restoration, and highlighted the role of nature-based solutions (NbS) in tackling these challenges. Coastal wetlands, seagrass meadows, coralligenous habitats, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) were all recognised as key areas for restoration. These ecosystems contribute to carbon storage, coastal protection, and the overall health of the Mediterranean, while helping countries meet climate and biodiversity commitments.

The webinar reinforced the need for policy alignment and joint action across the Mediterranean, showing that ecosystem restoration is a powerful tool for climate resilience, biodiversity protection, and sustainable development. It also laid the foundation for continued regional collaboration, sharing experiences, and scaling up restoration initiatives across the region.

Speakers stressed the importance of a coordinated regional action plan coordination on marine and coastal restoration. Connecting international, EuroMediterranean, and national frameworks can help turn high-level commitments into real action. Strong regional cooperation, knowledge sharing, and integrated approaches were identified as essential to ensure restoration efforts are effective and sustainable.

Alessandra Sensi, Head of Sector on Environment, Green and Blue Economy at the UfM, noted that maintaining these exchanges will be a key next step. She highlighted upcoming events that will continue the dialogue, including the 10th Working Group on Environment on 15 April 2026 and the Regional Platform on Sustainable Blue Economy in Barcelona on 21–22 April 2026.