Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) are sites "of importance for conserving the components of biological diversity in the Mediterranean; contain ecosystems specific to the Mediterranean area or the habitats of endangered species; are of special interest at the scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational levels".
A-Z of Areas of Biodiversity Importance: Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI)
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Context
The Protocols are part of a wider international effort aimed at protecting the Mediterranean Sea
The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern Eur ...
, ''i.e.'' the MAP, a programme co-ordinated by UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
the origins of which go back to the Barcelona Convention of 1976 for Protection against Pollution in the Mediterranean. Similar plans exist for other regional seas around the world. Treaties and protocols providing for the specific protection of certain sites in these regions have also been adopted.
The SPAMI List
The 1995 Protocol provides for the establishment of a List of SPAMI. SPAMI may be created both within areas of national jurisdiction and on the high seas
The terms international waters or transboundary waters apply where any of the following types of bodies of water (or their drainage basins) transcend international boundaries: oceans, large marine ecosystems, enclosed or semi-enclosed regiona ...
. The decision to include an area in the SPAMI List is taken by consensus by the contracting parties during their periodic meetings. The protection and management measures applying in the SPAMI are those prescribed by the States proposing them but all parties are to comply with such measures. The Ligurian Sea Cetacean Sanctuary is the largest of the SPAMI sites.
The RAC-SPA
The Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (RAC/SPA) was established by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention in order to help the Mediterranean countries implement the 1995 Protocol. It is based in Tunis
Tunis (, ') is the capital city, capital and largest city of Tunisia. The greater metropolitan area of Tunis, often referred to as "Grand Tunis", has about 2,700,000 inhabitants. , it is the third-largest city in the Maghreb region (after Casabl ...
, as part of a host agreement signed in 1991 between Tunisia
Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...
and UNEP
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is responsible for coordinating responses to environmental issues within the United Nations system. It was established by Maurice Strong, its first director, after the Declaration of the United Nati ...
.
See also
* REMPEC
References
{{Reflist
Further reading
* Fabio Spadi (1997), "Il Protocollo relativo alle aree specialmente protette e alla diversità biologica nel Mediterraneo (Barcellona, 10 giugno 1995) - Analisi e confronto con il Protocollo relativo alle aree del Mediterraneo particolarmente protette (Ginevra, 3 aprile 1982)"
''Il Diritto Marittimo''
pp. 1196 ff. (in Italian)
External links
RAC/SPA
Environment of the Mediterranean
Nature conservation by country