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The workshop report (Convention on Biological Diversity 2008) details, for each criterion, a
definition, the rationale, examples in different habitats, and considerations for its application.

Even though not all the above listed criteria are novel, the fact that they were developed for global
application but are here applied to the regional scale of the Mediterranean is indeed novel.

In light of this regional application, one question with particular relevance to the Mediterranean is
how to select the species to be used as reference for some of the above criteria. For instance,
species could be selected: a) if they are listed in Annexes II or III to the SPA Protocol; b) if they are
assigned to a threat category within IUCN’s Red List; c) if they include top marine predators; or d) if
they can be classified as umbrella, flagship, keystone or indicator species.

A non-exhaustive list of examples of features that would meet the above criteria for identifying
ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (or species), provided in the CBD workshop
report, include many features that are relevant to the protection of Mediterranean biodiversity in the
Open Seas.

These are:

Benthic features

• Seamount communities,
• Cold water coral reefs,
• Coral, sponge and bryozoan aggregations,
• Hydrothermal vent ecosystems,
• Cold seeps,
• Canyons,
• Trenches.

Pelagic habitats

• Upwelling areas,
• Fronts,
• Gyres.

Vulnerable and/or highly migratory species critical habitats and corridors

• Whales and other cetaceans,
• Seabirds,
• Sea turtles,
• Sharks,
• Highly migratory fish,
• Discrete deep-sea fish populations.

The workshop also provided a useful set of guidelines for the selection of areas to establish a
representative network of MPAs, including in open-ocean waters and deep-sea habitats. We
suggest that these criteria be taken into account during the process of implementing a network of
SPAMIs in Mediterranean Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (Section 5). Starting from an
overarching goal of a global representative network of MPAs (“Maintain, protect and conserve