Three Italian regions have identified policy solutions in the interests of the Mediterranean Sea and the livelihoods of those who depend on it thanks to a UN Environment project.

Emilia-Romagna, Sardinia and Tuscany have developed strategies for planning protected coastal areas and restoring habitats while ensuring natural resources from the sea can be more sustainable in the long-term.

As a result of the two-year project, Italy has taken a major step in respecting the Integrated Coastal Zone Management Protocol of the Barcelona Convention, which covers the protection of the Mediterranean Sea against pollution.

The management methodology developed over the past two years is now expected to be replicated by other countries in the Mediterranean basin.

“The work does not end today,” affirmed Gaetano Leone, Coordinator of the UN Environment/Mediterranean Action Plan Barcelona Convention Secretariat, pledging further efforts towards “win-win solutions” during an event presenting the project’s results in Rome on 17 January.

Since its approval by the Contracting Parties to the Convention in 1989, the Coastal Area Management Programme has been strongly country-driven and responded to national, regional and local priorities.

It sought to help Mediterranean countries in their efforts towards sustainable development, support national strategies for integrated coastal zone management and promote pilot projects in coastal areas of the countries signatory to the Convention.

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