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4. Potential SPAMI sites in Mediterranean Areas Beyond National
Jurisdiction

4.1 Overview of Process for Selecting Potential SPAMI Sites

1. On the basis of an analysis of the information available to us regarding the presence of
important elements of marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean High Seas, we have identified 10
Mediterranean Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas (EBSAs), where potential future
SPAMI sites in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) can be proposed.

2. Recognising that the state of the art described in Section 2 of this document is insufficient as a
baseline to develop effective representative networks of MPAs in the High Seas, in order to
delineate EBSAs and to identify high priority areas, and considering that large portions of the
Mediterranean Sea are very data-poor, the existing regional databases were supplemented with
locally derived indicators (e.g., geomorphological features of the sea floor, areas of high primary
productivity) as proxies of marine biodiversity hotspots, and expert opinion. Information being
obtained include data on physical oceanography of the Mediterranean Sea, modelling to pinpoint
areas of importance for select species and ecological integrity, and more detailed information on
the distribution and abundance of key marine species.

3. The EBSAs we have identified occur in each of the eight subdivisions of the Mediterranean,
which were proposed for consideration to the First Meeting of the Steering Committee on the
Identification of Possible SPAMIs in the Mediterranean Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ),
Tunis, 17 March 2009 (UNEP (DEPI)/MED WG. 330/6, 24 February 2009; see also Section 2.3.1
of this document, and Fig. 2-4), thus facilitating regional representativeness.

4. Using the eight selection criteria we put forward to the RAC/SPA in a previous report
(Notarbartolo di Sciara and Agardy 2009b; see also Section 3 and Table 3-3), and keeping in
special consideration Art. 8 of the SPA/BD Protocol (“2. The SPAMI List may include sites which:
are of importance for conserving the components of biological diversity in the Mediterranean;
contain ecosystems specific to the Mediterranean area or the habitats of endangered species; are
of special interest at the scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational levels”), we filtered the
aforementioned data in order to prioritize the importance of the various EBSAs and identify high
priority sites in Mediterranean ABNJ.

5. The method that was used to collect the information needed to identify the 10 Mediterranean
EBSAs is described in Notarbartolo di Sciara and Agardy (2009a). All the information obtained
from our correspondents is summarised in Table 4-1.

6. We do not suggest that the information we collected represents a complete description of the
distribution of relevant marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean; however, given the short time
available for this compilation, we suggest that what we present here is a good initial representation
of the ABNJ biota to be considered for place-based protection in the region.

7. The 10 Mediterranean EBSAs mentioned above are described in greater detail in Section 4.2
(below). A kmz file readable on Google Earth (version 5.0 or greater) is submitted together with