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SUSTAINABLE FINANCING OF MPAs IN THE MEDITERRANEAN: A FINANCIAL ANALYSIS

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With a marine surface area of 3,519 km , covering 13% of the total area of Mediterranean
3
MPAs , this sample is broadly representative of the range of MPAs in the basin and provides
an indicative approximation of the cost of day-to-day running of individual MPAs. In addition,
because questionnaires were only distributed to MPAs for which data had already been
collected in the context of the Mediterranean MPA 2012 inventory work and identified as
being relatively well managed, it is assumed that these figures are a meaningful
approximation of the costs for basic management of MPAs at various phases of their
development.
Since the main pressures on marine resources come from land-based or coastal activities
(pollution, tourism, etc.), most MPA activities are carried out on the coast (public education,
surveillance, etc.) rather than at sea. The share of terrestrial and coastal areas (as an
indicator of exchange surface between land-based pressures and marine resources) is thus
more likely to affect MPA management costs than the total surface area of the marine part.
However, whatever the share of the marine part in the total surface area, studies show that
larger MPAs, in general, present better opportunities to generate economies of scale for their
expenses (Bovarnick et al., 2010). These factors are further analysed in the report.
Looking at mixed PAs (i.e. terrestrial and marine PAs), it would be difficult to make a
distinction between the budget allocated to the marine part and the budget allocated to the
terrestrial part. For this reason, the budget of PAs was analysed as a whole, terrestrial part
included: all costs were assigned to marine area management if a more detailed cost
breakdown was not available.
Twenty MPAs were considered as part of the survey. MPAs having only an international
status were not included in the analysis due to their particular management and their non-
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representative surface area at the basin level (e.g. Pelagos covers 87,500 km compared
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with a total surface area of international MPAs of 87,998 km in the whole basin (Gabrié et
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al., 2012)). A reference marine surface area for the Mediterranean basin of 647,853 km
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(total surface area of the 12 n.m. zone ) was used as shown in Figure 7. The scope of the
analysis is thus limited to 26% of the Mediterranean surface.
Sampled MPAs were assumed to provide two types of financial data - costs for MPA creation
and costs for effective management (further referred to as the financial needs for effective
management):
 Sampled MPAs in their pioneer phase (as defined by the FFEM) could more easily
provide accurate data relating to their creation costs as they had been established
more recently. Theoretically, creation begins with the idea that a particular location
deserves protection, and ends at official designation of the MPA (FFEM, 2010). Five
such MPAs were studied as part of this sample, in Albania, France, Tunisia and
Turkey.
 Sampled MPAs in their autonomous phase (as defined by the FFEM) are assumed
to be fully managed for the achievement of their conservation goals and attempting to
effectively operate programs to reach and sustain optimal ecosystem functioning.
Theoretically, they are the most likely to have identified actions and resources
needed to achieve effective management. Fifteen such MPAs were studied as part of
this sample, in Algeria, France, Greece, Italy, Lebanon, Monaco, Slovenia and Spain.

3 - Reference surface areas used for the Mediterranean MPA marine surface area (to calculate percentages): 27,066 km2
(Gabrié et al., 2012). Pelagos and Regulated Fishing Areas are excluded from the analysis.
4 - Some countries have a 6 n.m. territorial waters limit. However, as in Gabrié et al. (2012), it was decided to set a consistent
distance of 12 n.m. for all countries for the purpose of this study and to circumvent the judicial problems of this enclosed sea.

May 2015 – Vertigo Lab, for MedPAN, RAC/SPA and WWF Med. Page 31