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SUSTAINABLE FINANCING OF MPAs IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

14 countries in the region, show a financing gap (available funds minus financial needs)
of €700M per year. The financing gap for the 7 EU countries studied is estimated to be
€458M in 2014, and it is €17M for the 7 non-EU countries studied.

As a result, there is an urgent need to consider an increase in current funding for existing
MPAs in the Mediterranean region, given that only 12% of the financial needs for effective
management of MPAs are covered by current resources.

Current levels of MPA underfunding are at risk of worsening

The financial situation for Mediterranean MPAs is actually worsening because the most
recent MPAs (so-called pioneer MPAs) present a lower diversity of financing sources
and have lower resources in non-EU countries.
Also, the increasing pressure on MPAs by both anthropogenic and natural causes is likely to
increase financing needs to adapt management to those pressures. Importantly, climate
change impacts and increased pressures from tourism and coastal development will
substantially increase those needs and make the underfunding more pronounced.

In addition, the global financial crisis and budget restrictions in donor countries affect
the availability of financial resources. This is mainly the case for bilateral Official
Development Assistance for Marine Protected Areas which decreased by 9% in 2012, 13%
in 2013 and 46% in 2014.

Furthermore, institutional weaknesses and political instabilities, especially in the south
of the Mediterranean, accentuate the financial vulnerability of Marine Protected Areas.
Despite comprehensive institutional organisation, some countries are confronted by a lack of
coordination between entities (central agencies responsible for MPAs), which in turn affects
the permanent and consistent flow of resources. For other countries, institutional
weaknesses complicate the implementation of strategic alliances with local authorities and
stakeholders, which are a necessary condition for effective use of available financial
resources. The absence of local key stakeholders for effective management of MPA projects
resulted in high dependency on external consultants and NGOs without empowering local
stakeholders in the sustainability of MPAs.

Without strong sustained political commitment, Aichi targets will not be met

For the Aichi target of 10% of coastal area protected to be attained, the surface area of
MPAs to be created by 2020 in the 12 nautical mile zone has been estimated at around
2
49,000 km . Considering current and projected resources over the period 2015-2020, and the
need to effectively manage existing MPAs as well as the ones to be created, the total
financing gap for attainment of the Aichi target scenario is over €7bn for the 12
countries studied.
The financing gap for this scenario is estimated at €1.162bn for the non-EU countries in
the study (Albania, Egypt, Israel, Monaco and Tunisia). This corresponds to the creation
of 5,738 km² of MPAs in the countries studies (compared with 712 km² currently in MPAs).
The financing gap is estimated to about €5.839bn for the EU countries in the study
(Croatia, Cyprus, France, Greece, Italy, Slovenia, and Spain). This estimate is for the
creation of 34,141 km² of MPAs (compared with 45,999 km² currently in MPAs – excluding
the Pelagos Sanctuary).

May 2015 – Vertigo Lab, for MedPAN, RAC/SPA and WWF Med. Page 13