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SUSTAINABLE FINANCING OF MPAs IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

2 INTRODUCTION

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) have been designed as a strategic tool for the long-term
conservation of the marine environment, including species, habitats, ecosystems and their
services, as well as to ensure sustainable management and use of marine resources.

In spite of increasing efforts to strengthen and develop MPAs in the region, the level of
success and continuity over time of MPAs depends directly on the size and capacity of their
management teams, and their ability to work under appropriate conditions (Watson et al.,
2014) and thus indirectly depends on the budget available to support management teams
and actions.
Sufficient financial resources are a precondition to ensuring that MPAs are well-managed
and play their role in the preservation of biodiversity. However, MPAs remain underfunded,
resulting in less efficient protection of species and habitats, as the level of MPA management
heavily depends on funding and financial strategies. The insecure financial situation of MPAs
sets off a cascade of management problems: funds are necessary to hire staff, manage and
monitor the protected area, invest in infrastructure and carry out research on local species
and habitats.
Establishing sustainable financing for MPAs is therefore a prerequisite to enable MPAs to
attain effective management. It is considered that the problem of underfunding derives
directly from a lack of reliable information regarding the costs of MPA management and
creation.
This report presents the results of a study aimed at improving knowledge of these costs in
Mediterranean MPAs. It highlights resource mobilisation across the Mediterranean devoted
to covering overall costs related to the effective management of MPAs in this region. The
report provides updates on the available information regarding international and national
financial resources per country along with current expenditures and the resources needed for
effective management of local MPAs in the Mediterranean region. Finally, comparison of the
available financing with costs for individual site management provides an indication of the
financing gap for effective management of MPAs in the region, and for attainment of the
Aichi target of 10% of the marine area protected by 2020.
The report builds on MedPAN, RAC/SPA and WWF initiatives and generates comprehensive
and standardised data that can be further used to make recommendations for strengthening
MPA financing. It has been prepared to serve as a tool for improving the financial
sustainability of the MPA system in the Mediterranean region.

May 2015 – Vertigo Lab, for MedPAN, RAC/SPA and WWF Med. Page 16