Posted on November, 19 2001

Rome, Italy - WWF, the conservation organization, welcomes the commitment by the Mediterranean states to fully implement all the necessary restrictive measures to eliminate pollution at sea from land-based sources in the Mediterranean, and to reduce the emissions of persistent organic pollutants (POP) by 50 percent by 2005.

The agreement was reached at the 12th meeting of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea in Monaco.

At this meeting, Ministers also announced the inclusion of the Mediterranean Whale Sanctuary in the list of SPAMIs (Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance).

Participant countries officially committed to estimate their sea pollution emissions (from land-based sources) and to assess the financial requirement to reduce and eliminate them by 2003. They also committed to eliminate all emissions of this type by 2025. Land-based sources of pollution account for 80 percent of the total Mediterranean Sea pollution.

Moreover, ministers agreed on eliminating 50 percent of the POPs by 2005 and on total elimination of POPs by 2010. POPs are extremely toxic pesticides and industrial chemicals including PCBs, dioxins, and DDT, reported to induce carcinogenic and endocrine disruption processes in both animal and human beings.

"WWF welcomes the decision of the Mediterranean ministers as a crucial step towards the implementation of strict measures against the pollution of the Mediterranean Sea," said Paolo Guglielmi, Head of Marine Unit at WWF Mediterranean Programme Office. "However, WWF calls on governments who have already started undertaking pollution reduction activities not to take advantage of the chosen date of year 2003 to delay them. WWF urges in particular Italy, France and Monaco to rapidly reduce pollution in the Mediterranean Whale Sanctuary, now that its ecological relevance has been enhanced through its declaration as a SPAMI."

The inclusion of the Mediterranean Whale Sanctuary, a protected area of 84.000 km� established by the governments of Italy, France and Municipality of Monaco, in the list of the SPAMIs (areas in the Mediterranean particularly relevant for their ecological, scientific and cultural value) is a valuable decision, says WWF.

This binds the countries involved to put in place an effective management plan and to guarantee the long-term viability of the area. In addition, this new status grants the sanctuary official recognition by all the other Mediterranean states.

Ministers also agreed on the preparation of a new legal framework on oil pollution that will in particular enable governments to use sound modern technologies, such as satellites, to monitor tankers illegal washing and to prosecute offenders.

Illegal washing operations represent a particularly thorny issue for the Mediterranean Sea; preliminary and conservative estimates from ESA (European Space Agency) show that around 100,000 tons of crude oil, the equivalent of several Erika shipwrecks, are spilled each year in the Mediterranean Sea as a result of illegal washing operations from the 250-300 oil tankers crossing the Mediterranean Sea daily.

"The tar we find on our beaches is mainly due to illegal washing operations of oil tankers carried out every day in the Mediterranean. This pollution is highly toxic both for the health of marine ecosystems and for humans. WWF is looking forward to the signature in January 2002 in Malta of a new emergency protocol under the Barcelona convention which will help Mediterranean states to finally stop these hidden offences," added Paolo Guglielmi.

Finally, countries adopted a joint declaration to be presented at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002, submitting their plans to ensure the protection of the Mediterranean Sea.

For further information:

Anne Rémy, Head of Communications, WWF Mediterranean Programme Office, tel: +39 06 844 97 424

Paolo Guglielmi, Head of Marine Unit, WWF Mediterranean Programme Office, mob: +39 335/7010856

Notes to Editors

- The Barcelona Convention is the legal framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), an action-oriented co-operative effort adopted by the Mediterranean States and the EC in Barcelona in 1975 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).

The meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention (the Mediterranean States and the European Union), takes place every two years; external observers are invited to sit in on these meetings, such as non-governmental organisations (NGOS) like WWF.

- The Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP) aims to protect the environment and to foster development in the Mediterranean Basin; it deals with coastal zone management, pollution assessment and control, protection of ecosystems and preservation of biodiversity.