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To identify EBSAs within each Mediterranean ecoregion, an adaptation of the SPA Protocol criteria
in light of the recent developments promoted within the framework of CBD is recommended.
The following is a more detailed explanation of how the criteria may be applied to the identification
of EBSAs (in bold: the SPA Protocol criteria; in italics: the corresponding CBD criteria).

I. Uniqueness: “The area contains unique or rare ecosystems, or rare or endemic species”.
Uniqueness or rarity: Area contains either (i) unique (“the only one of its kind”), rare (occurs only in
few locations) or endemic species, populations or communities, and/or (ii) unique, rare or distinct,
habitats or ecosystems; and/or (iii) unique or unusual geomorphological or oceanographic features.

Biological productivity: Area containing species, populations or communities with comparatively
higher natural biological productivity.

NOTE: We suggest that the CBD “Biological productivity” criterion, not explicitly included
within the SPAMI criteria, may be broadly included under the “Uniqueness” SPAMI criterion
because discretely delineated high productivity areas in the Mediterranean Open Seas are
rare.

II. Natural representativeness: “The area has highly representative ecological processes, or
community or habitat types or other natural characteristics. Representativeness is the
degree to which an area represents a habitat type, ecological process, biological
community, physiographic feature or other natural characteristic”.

NOTE: This SPA Protocol criterion does not readily find a correspondent in the CBD criteria
for EBSAs, since representativeness should be a means to gauge the value of the network
as a whole, not to evaluate individual sites. This is logical. We recommend that the
application of the ‘representativeness’ criterion be applied to the construction of networks
(see Section 5.1) rather than to the selection and siting of individual SPAMIs.

III. Diversity: “The area has a high diversity of species, communities, habitats or
ecosystems”.

Biological diversity: Area contains comparatively higher diversity of ecosystems, habitats,
communities, or species, or has higher genetic diversity.

Special importance for life history stages of species: Areas that are required for a population to
survive and thrive.

IV. Naturalness: “The area has a high degree of naturalness as a result of the lack or low
level of human-induced disturbance and degradation”.