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International Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea Environment

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Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, Greece. CONCLUSIONS: Lessons learnt ... of Eastern Mediterranean using hi-tec techniques and methodology reveals diverse ... – PowerPoint PPT presentation

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Title: International Conference on the Sustainable Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea Environment


1
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • CONCLUSIONS
  • Lessons learnt from past experience
  • (i.e.,gaps in our knowledge)
  • and
  • The way forward
  • Or Where do we go from here?
  • Anastasios Eleftheriou
  • Institute of Marine Biology of Crete, Greece

2
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Climate change
  • Sustainable land use and CZM
  • Impact of human activities
  • Deep Sea management of resources
  • Biodiversity changes
  • Sustainable fisheries aquaculture
  • Biotechnology
  • Thresholds of environmental sustainability
  • Environmental economy
  • Information management

3
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Climate change gaps in our knowledge
  • - serious gap in ecosystem modelling
  • - global forcing need to understand its role in
    the
  • Mediterranean and Black
    Sea
  • in order to predict future climate change, we
    need to know more about past climate change
  • - no knowledge as to what factors triggered short
    climate change in Mediterranean Sea

4
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Climate change where do we go from here?
  • - Operational models to integrate information by
    means
  • of simple indicators (renewal time scale of
    coastal areas)
  • - investigations into past climate change
    (measurements and models) in order to make
    realistically varied scenarios
  • - existing observation system (EUROGOOS System)
    to be maintained and enhanced and linked to other
    Global Observation Systems
  • - forcing effect of anthropogenic aerosols on
    Med/Black Seas
  • to be investigated
  • - forecast models to run on operational mode and
  • checked against data

5
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Coastal management gaps to be filled
  • -how to ensure sustainable utilization of natural
    resources
  • -how to avoid creation of thresholds that will
    not hamper sustainability
  • PROBLEMS
  • -coastal zones affected by inland activities
  • -coastal erosion major problem with no standard
    solutions
  • -CZM policies and approaches sectoral rather than
    integrated

6
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Coastal management what next?
  • -develop and implement integrated CZM, joint
    effort from natural and social sciences
  • -coastal areas and catchment areas to be managed
    holistically
  • -investigate impact of global regional change
    on local coastal systems
  • -modelling and forecasting systems needed to
    support implementation of EU policies
  • -research to find solutions for coastal erosion
    problems

7
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Impact of Human Activities gaps to fill
  • effects of microbial pollution in the Med.
    coastal zone persist, related to urban waste
    water.
  • -changes in productivity linked to anthropogenic
    nutrient loads, result of global change?
  • -spatial distribution of heavy metal pollution,
    organic pollutants, not well studied
  • -processes, pathways and fate of these pollutants
    in Black Sea not well known
  • -geographical imbalance of data is more acute.
  • -intake of pathogenic micro-organisms causing
    damage to health still has to be determined.
  • - large stretches of coastal zones, for which
    records are very sparse.

8
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Impact of Human Activities what next?
  • -ecological indicators needed to capture
    complexities of coastal systems, must be
    regularly monitored
  • - identification of sources of pollution (e.g.
    non-point sources in agriculture) and biological
    effects of long-range pollutants.
  • -research and data on virus contamination is
    required on a basin scale.
  • -scarcity of data is probably the main issue in
    the two regions.
  • -monitoring capabilities of some countries have
    to be improved.
  •  

9
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Deep Sea Management of Resources gaps to be
    filled
  • -recent exploration of Eastern Mediterranean
    using hi-tec techniques and methodology reveals
    diverse environments
  • -deep basins,hydrothermal vents,mud
    volcanoes,cold seeps,brine pools,canyons,gas
    hydrates
  • -unique hydrography (warm/deep waters, deep water
    mass formations)
  • -discoveries of unique ecosystems with deep-water
    species colonising from N.Atlantic, with high
    food requirements
  • -lateral transport of food is it event-driven?
    Canyon fed?

10
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Deep Sea Management of Resources what has to be
    done
  • -urgent need for detailed seabed mapping to find
    hydrothermal areas, volcanic hot spots
  • -need to understand interconnectivity of
    ecosystems
  • -the eastern Med. is unique test bed for
    adaptation studies of benthic species colonising
    from the Atlantic
  • -gas hydrates important alternative energy
    source where do they occur? In what quantities?
    How can they be recovered?

11
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Biodiversity changes gaps to be filled
  • -Patterns and changes in marine biodiversity
    poorly known, with unexplored areas, ecosystems
    groups
  • -loss of coastal habitats a major global concern
    (loss of 80 area loss of 50 species)
  • -insufficient harmonisation of classical and
    molecular techniques
  • -lack of studies concerning the coupling of
    biodiversity with ecosystem functioning,
    productivity and economic profitability
  • -little info on effects of fishing gear on
    biodiversity
  • -lack of long-term data and comparative
    datasets/methodology, analysis, reference sites

12
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Biodiversity changes what next?
  • -need to synthesize existing info by building a
    Mediterranean and Black Sea database.
  • -comparative studies needed concerning fishing
    gear effects protected areas vs fished areas, in
    specific habitats
  • -need to define common protocols and to test the
    old and new tools (indicators) o throughout the
    Med. and Black Sea areas
  • -unique opportunity in area because of huge
    bacterial biodiversity to search for new
    bacterial patterns and processes which may affect
    the entire planets
  • - new studies on micro algae, invertebrates
    needed

13
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
Sustainable fisheries/aquaculture gaps _quality
of statistics still one of main weaknesses in
determining actual fishing effort, structure and
capacity of difference types of fishing
vessels. -collapse of fish stocks shows
management failure to sustain natural resource
need to re-examine marine sustainability and look
to adaptability instead -selection of
aquaculture sites must conform to EU
environmental regulations, with knowledge needed
of carrying capacity, etc -food safety, of
paramount importance, has developed management
paradigms to help the private sector to develop a
legal framework. This is lacking in sustainable
development in fisheries management.
14
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Sustainable fisheries/aquaculture what next?
  • The production of good quality statistics a major
    priority
  • -fisheries management system should be changed
    (since it is clearly ineffective) by following
    the food safety management paradigm
  • -in aquaculture, precise definitions of carrying
    capacity for fishfarms in the area are needed
  • -lessons should be learned from the food safety
    sector and management paradigms should be
    formulated

15
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Biotechnology gaps to be filled
  • -90 industrial enzymes of microbial origin,
    marine microorganisms least well known
  • -hardly any microorganisms have been isolated,
    yet are likely to be important for industry
  • -population genetic analysis based on DNA markers
    can identify status and history of species
  • -sponges sources of pharmaceutically active
    substances challenge is to maintain the
    associated bacterial community

16
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Biotechnology what next?
  • -development of DNA taxonomy system
  • -research into microbial and macrobial faunas
    from hydrothermal vents and cold seeps new
    discipline of Ecogenomics
  • -studies in maintenance of sponge bacterial
    communities
  • -genetic studies on influence of hydrographic,
    climatic and anthropogenic factors in marine
    species

17
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Thresholds gaps to be filled
  • Threshold values needed to formulate sustainable
    development policies for coastal areas
  • -need to define economic costs and value of goods
    and services provided by coastal areas (estimated
    at twice global GDP)
  • -since thresholds are regional specific,(response
    to P differs right across Med., continuum of
    thresholds across regions are needed
  • -cost-benefit analysis must incorporate entire
    range of social and environmental costs
  • -lack of integration of science, politics and
    economy results in substantial financial and
    environmental loss

18
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Thresholds what next?
  • -sound scientific data needed to accurately
    define thresholds
  • -Threshold concept to be incorporated into WPD
  • -since the concept of thresholds is the
    cornerstone of sustainability, work needs to be
    done to define levels and values, in order to
    integrate separate aspects (science, politics and
    economics)
  • -threshold and point of no return values must be
    used as a starting point for negotiating with
    other users

19
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Information Management identified gaps
  • -the information not always easily accessible.
  • -much information remains scattered in various
    departments and institutions
  • in many cases not available in electronic form.
  • -quality assurance procedures are needed

20
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Information Management what next?
  • -more information must centrally gathered in
    electronic form in national and international
    databases, so that it can be utilised easily by
    decision makers in the administration and by
    other partners
  • -Quality assurance and control procedures should
    be further developed and implemented to ensure
    data quality and reliability.
  • -Allocated resources should increase to enable a
    continuous flow of high quality data,ie updating
  • -An assistance component should be developed
    which could include training and establishment of
    contacts with more advanced laboratories

21
International Conference on the Sustainable
Development of the Mediterranean and Black Sea
Environment
  • Conclusions and recommendations
  • the way ahead
  • Move towards the development of a National
    Sustainability Programme which will take into
    account the problems, concerns and solutions from
    the participating countries
  • -The existing cooperative programmes from the
    region should form the basis for a platform which
    will take into consideration the scientific and
    technological experience of the participating
    countries, to give credence and momentum and lead
    to an IP in the E.Mediterranean and the Black Sea
  • -the platform will link this geographic area and
    will enhance the scientific, technical and
    political issues taking into account their unique
    contrasts and similarities as an interconnected
    large area
  • -training and mobility of scientists and
    technicians should also fall within the scope of
    this action
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