• English
  • Français
  • العربية
Follow us
Union for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfMUnion for the Mediterranean – UfM     Mediterranean Day
  • Who we are
    • Who we are

      The Union for the Mediterranean is an intergovernmental institution bringing together the European Union Member States and 16 countries from the Southern and Eastern shores of the Mediterranean to promote dialogue and cooperation.

      Overview   

    • Who we are

      • Member States
      • Meet the team
      • Partners
      • History
    • Key documents

      UfM Annual Report 2021 Regional Integration
  • What we do
    • Notre action

      The UfM seeks to enhance regional cooperation, dialogue and the implementation of concrete projects and initiatives with tangible impact on our citizens to address three strategic objectives: human development, stability and integration.

      Overview   

    • Human development

      • Economic Development and Employment
      • Higher Education & Research
      • Social & Civil Affairs

      Sustainable development

      • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
      • Transport & Urban Development
      • Energy & Climate Action
    • How we work

      • Political Framework
      • Regional Dialogue Platforms
      • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • The UfM Secretariat is the operational platform of the Union for the Mediterranean. The staff of the UfM is made of more than 17 nationalities working in a multicultural environment that fosters cooperation and intercultural communication and exchange.

    • Work with us

      • Vacancies
      • Secondments
      • Internships
      • Procurement
      • Roster of experts
  • Info center
    • Info center

      Find our latest press releases, press invitations, visual identity, key institutional documents, photos and other relevant information


      Download the UfM Visual Identity Guidelines and Logos (zip file)   

    • Info center

      • Media corner
      • News
      • Agenda
      • Publications and key documents
      • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
    • UfM in the Media

      23 November – mena.org.eg – السفير ناصر كامل لـ(أ ش أ): اختيار عاصمة ثقافية من شمال المتوسط وأخرى من الجنوب
      View article
      24 November – La Presse – 7e Forum Régional de l’Union Pour la Méditerranée : Les capitales culturelles et la jeunesse de la Méditerranée au menu
      View article
      24 November – DW – An Inside Europe special celebrating the Day of the Mediterranean
      View article
      See more
  • Contact

International Day for Biological Diversity: UfM warns that the Mediterranean region is a biodiversity hotspot under threat

Water & Environment
  • The Mediterranean basin is a recognised biodiversity hotspot, with outstanding flora diversity of 15,000 to 25,000 species, according to a ICUN report. 60% of flora and around one third of fauna in the Mediterranean is endemic, or unique to the region.
  • By 2100, the drop in pH could reach 0.462 and 0.457 units for the western and eastern basins of the Mediterranean, respectively. This acidification has very serious consequences on marine biodiversity, affecting many elements of the living chain.
  • The Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) set up the 2030 Greener Med Agenda as a collaborative basis for joint solutions to protect ecosystems and biodiversity while accelerating the transition towards a green, circular and inclusive economy in the region.

20 May 2021. The Mediterranean is one of the richest areas of biodiversity in the world, and home to thousands of species of flora and fauna. Protecting and restoring it is key to the UfM’s mission, and International Day for Biological Diversity 2021 provides a fitting opportunity to raise awareness and understanding of the importance of Mediterranean biodiversity.

This year’s theme is: “We are part of the solution.” The IBPES Global Assessment on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services found that human activities are responsible for 75% of ecosystem destruction, which in turn impacts climate change, economic activity, food and water security, and even human health. It has been shown that mismanaging biodiversity and ecosystems increases the risk of infectious diseases passing from wildlife to humans, thereby increasing the risk of further pandemics.

Aware of these acute risks in the Euro-Mediterranean region, the UfM 2030 Greener Med Agenda sets out a collaborative basis for joint solutions to accelerate the transition towards a green, circular and inclusive economy, with biodiversity at the centre. It defines as one of its three key priorities the need to protect, preserve, manage and restore natural resources in the Mediterranean, and is set to be approved by Member States at the upcoming Ministerial later this year.

Isidro González, Deputy Secretary General for Water, Environment and Blue Economy commented: “Current trajectories will not meet goals for conservation and sustainability. We call for transformative changes across economic, social, political and technological systems as we rebuild from the pandemic in the Euro-Mediterranean region. At the UfM we believe that we are all part of the solution, and that only by working together can we achieve real impact on biodiversity protection and restoration.”

As part of its work to foster cooperation around biodiversity protection and restoration, last March the UfM supported the launch of the innovative partnership “Mediterranean Consortium to protect Biodiversity”, bringing together the skills, experience, know-how and scientific knowledge of six key  regional UfM partners: MedWet (the Mediterranean Wetlands Initiative of Ramsar), MedPan (Mediterranean Protected Areas Network), PIM (Mediterranean Small Islands Initiative), Tour du Valat (TdV), AIFM (International Association for Mediterranean Forests) and IUCN-Med (IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation). The Consortium will develop a regional vision with a common goal and promote the integration of sustainable development with concrete conservation actions and initiatives.

The UfM supports several projects to safeguard biodiversity. Two examples:

  • ‘Plastic Busters MPAs’ tackles marine litter in the Mediterranean, with the overall goal of maintaining biodiversity and preserving natural ecosystems in pelagic and coastal marine protected areas (MPAs). The project is led by the University of Siena, Italy.
  • ‘Scaling up forest and landscape restoration’ aims to restore biodiversity and promote joint mitigation and adaptation approaches through regional platforms, technical assistance and pilot activities applying appropriate forest and landscape restoration. The project is implemented by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

These initiatives were born from Euro-Mediterranean Ministerial Declarations on the Blue Economy. The latest UfM Sustainable Blue Economy Ministerial of February 2021, to which all 42 Member States have committed, laid the foundation for a Mediterranean roadmap to bring national climate action to the regional level, and further to the international level at the next UN Biodiversity Convention in October 2021. The Blue Economy Agenda brings together the economic potential of the Mediterranean Sea with the need to integrate environmental sustainability into the way we harness these opportunities. In addition, Member States reaffirmed their commitment to the regional marine litter management plan and to achieving the collection and recycling of 100% of plastic waste.

 

More information

  • FAO-UNEP media package
Share this:

Latest news

UfM joints first Steering Committee of the Plan of Action for a Model Mediterranean Sea by 2030 (PAMEx)
24 / 01 / 2023
UfM and EMUNI deliver a series of webinars on Science Diplomacy and Sustainability
22 / 12 / 2022
See more

Agenda

Research and Innovation for Mediterranean Resilience: Launch of Mediterranean Initiative, Horizon Europe WP 2023-2024
30 / 01 / 2023
UfM Webinar on Financing Innovation Ecosystems for the Mediterranean Sustainable Blue Economy
30 / 01 / 2023
See more

Who we are

  • Member States
  • Meet the team
  • Partners
  • History

What we do

  • Economic Development & Employment
  • Higher Education & Research
  • Social & Civil Affairs
  • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
  • Transport & Urban Development
  • Energy & Climate Action

How we work

  • Political Framework
  • Regional Dialogue Platforms
  • Projects and Initiatives

Work with us

  • Vacancies
  • Secondments
  • Internships
  • Procurement
  • Roster of experts

Info centre

  • Media corner
  • News
  • Agenda
  • Publications and key documents
  • Human Stories of the Mediterranean
  • Photo gallery
  • Video gallery
Co-financé par l'Union européenne  -  Cookie Privacy  |  Privacy Privacy  |  Legal notice
  • Who we are
    • Member States
    • Meet the team
    • Partners
    • History
  • What we do
    • Economic Development and Employment
    • Higher Education & Research
    • Social & Civil Affairs
    • Water, Environment and Blue Economy
    • Transport & Urban Development
    • Energy & Climate Action
  • How we work
    • Political Framework
    • Regional Dialogue Platforms
    • Projects and Initiatives
  • Work with us
    • Vacancies
    • Secondments
    • Internships
    • Procurement
    • Roster of experts
  • Info centre
    • Media center
    • News
    • Agenda
    • Publications and key documents
  • Contact
  • Social media
    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Youtube
    • Linkedin
    • Flickr
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
  • English
  • Français
  • العربية
Union for the Mediterranean – UfM
/* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in Megamenu – Latest Ufm in the news - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Content template for Posts - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - start */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* ----------------------------------------- */ /* Content Template: Loop item in NewsRoom – Related News (Sidebar) - end */ /* ----------------------------------------- */

 

We are using cookies to give you the best experience on our website.

You can find out more about which cookies we are using or switch them off in settings.


3rd Party Cookies

Powered by  GDPR Cookie Compliance
Cookies Overview

This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.

Read more

3rd Party Cookies

This website uses Google Analytics to collect anonymous information such as the number of visitors to the site, and the most popular pages.

Keeping this cookie enabled helps us to improve our website.

Please enable Strictly Necessary Cookies first so that we can save your preferences!