| Acronym |
| EcAp |
| Full Project title |
| Ecosystem Approach in the Mediterranean |
| Start Date |
| 2008 |
| Ending Date |
| 2020 |
| Contact Information |
| Link |
| Scale |
| Regional |
| Geographical Coverage |
| Mediterranean Sea |
| Main topic |
| Ecosystem based management of human activities to achieve or maiantain Good Environmental Status of marine and coastal ecosystems. |
| Thematic focus |
| The EcAP strategic goals are to:
- To protect, allow recovery and, where practicable, restore the structure and function of marine and coastal ecosystems thus also protecting biodiversity, in order to achieve and maintain good ecological status and allow for their sustainable use.
- To reduce pollution in the marine and coastal environment so as to minimize impacts on and risks to human and/or ecosystem health and/or uses of the sea and the coasts.
- To prevent, reduce and manage the vulnerability of the sea and the coasts to risk induced by human activities and natural events |
| Objectives |
| The commitment by the Contracting Parties of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea to an Ecosystem Approach comes from the need to better protect the ecosystems by progressively applying the ecosystem approach to the management of human activities that may affect the Mediterranean marine and coastal environment. |
| Methodology |
| Methodology is very similar to the MSFD one, with seven steps:
1. Definition of an ecological Vision for the Mediterranean
2. Setting of common Mediterranean strategic goals
3. Identification of important ecosystem properties and assessment of ecological status and pressures
4. Development of a set of ecological objectives corresponding to the Vision and strategic goals
5. Derivation of operational objectives with indicators and target levels
6. Revision of existing monitoring programmes for ongoing assessment and regular updating of targets
7. Development and review of relevant action plans and programmes |
