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SUSTAINABLE FINANCING OF MPAs IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

Thus, unless strong political support is mobilised now, the Aichi target will not be met in
2020, and is not likely to be met in the following years.
Though large compared with the budget for MPA financing, this financing gap seems quite
small when it is considered that MPAs are a major contributor to international tourism
activities in the Mediterranean and that it only represents 3.6% of the annual revenues of
international tourism in the Mediterranean, estimated at €190bn in 2011.

The international community is key to developing MPA financing …

There is strong commitment from the international community for investing in MPAs.
The region received financial support amounting to €37,193,373, channeled through bilateral
Official Development Assistance (€7,496,524), the GEF (€5,746,120), the EU LIFE programs
(€23,950,729) and international NGO investments (€4,903,269) over the period 2010–2014.
Financial resources from international cooperation are a useful instrument for raising
additional funding from central governments, NGOs, and the private sector. In the
Mediterranean region, co-funding from governments amounted to €36M over the period
2010–2014. National contributions supplementing international grants demonstrate strong
commitment from recipient countries, as they have to be integrated into national accounts.
International financial resources triggered national strategies for a Marine Protected
Areas network. International financial flows have triggered national strategies for the
creation and enhancement of a Marine Protected Areas network, including the marine Natura
2000 network in the case of EU countries. They have provided financial support for the first
stages of development of Marine Protected Areas. However, more effort is needed to
consolidate the impetus to upgrade MPAs to the autonomous phase.

… while national support provides essential operational funding
There is a strong variability in financial support from international cooperation for
Marine Protected Areas. The financial resources devoted to MPAs are committed on a
project basis and within the program cycle of multilateral donors. Once a project is over, the
flow of financial resources stops. This situation may be a source of financial vulnerability for
countries that are highly dependent on international cooperation for Marine Protected Areas.
This is mainly the case for the southern countries of the Mediterranean region.
National budgets are fairly constant over the study period and essential for the
operating activities of Marine Protected Areas. The national expenditures for EU
countries devoted to Marine Protected Areas amounted to €120,735,331 during the period
studied. France, Spain, Italy and Croatia account for the largest share of total national
expenditures. For non-EU countries, total national expenditures amounted to €2,647,253
over the period 2012-2014. Financial flows to Protected Areas or MPAs are rather dependent
on allocations made within the general budget. The central budget is mainly devoted to the
functioning of operating resources whose activities support MPA management programs,
mainly allocated for staff salaries. Another part of the central budget is devoted to key
activities such as inspections, monitoring, specific scientific studies and zoning, among
others. There is no transfer of financial resources to MPA structures, but these allocations
are meant to mitigate the financial burden on MPAs.

May 2015 – Vertigo Lab, for MedPAN, RAC/SPA and WWF Med. Page 14