Food and Water Management in the Mediterranean Basin

2018 ◽  
pp. 451-469
Author(s):  
Michel Petit ◽  
Phillipe Le Grusse
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Environmentally Sustainable ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Natural Resource Base ◽  
Management Institutions ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The food and water challenges to be faced in the Mediterranean Basin, particularly those on the southern and eastern shores, are daunting. They form a complex nexus of problems and require policies pursuing several important potentially conflicting goals at the same time: reducing or limiting food import dependency through increased agricultural production in environmentally sustainable ways while protecting the natural resource base and keeping food affordable for poorer populations. The worrisome trends affecting countries on the southern and eastern shores of the common sea can also have seriously negative consequences in the North which explains why the North-South collaboration has a long tradition in the region. But, as the case of water management institutions shows, ineffective advocacy for trade liberalization has led to conflicts and tensions on various issues and has distracted attention from potentially much more fruitful areas of collaboration.

scholarly journals Genetic flow among olive populations within the Mediterranean basin

PeerJ ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 ◽  
pp. e5260 ◽  
Author(s):  
Valentina di Rienzo ◽  
Sara Sion ◽  
Francesca Taranto ◽  
Nunzio D’Agostino ◽  
Cinzia Montemurro ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Resources ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Olive Tree ◽  
Gene Pools ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
And Migration ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Background The olive tree is a typical crop of the Mediterranean basin where it shows a wide diversity, accounting for more than 2,600 cultivars. The ability to discriminate olive cultivars and determine their genetic variability is pivotal for an optimal exploitation of olive genetic resources. Methods We investigated the genetic diversity within 128 olive accessions belonging to four countries in the Mediterranean Basin (Italy, Algeria, Syria, and Malta), with the purpose of better understanding the origin and spread of the olive genotypes across Mediterranean Basin countries. Eleven highly polymorphic simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers were used and proved to be very informative, producing a total of 179 alleles. Results Cluster analysis distinguished three main groups according to their geographical origin, with the current sample of Maltese accessions included in the Italian group. Phylogenetic analysis further differentiated Italian and Maltese olive accessions, clarifying the intermediate position of Maltese accessions along the x/y-axes of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA). Model-based and neighbor clustering, PCoA, and migration analysis suggested the existence of two different gene pools (Algerian and Syrian) and that the genetic exchange occurred between the Syrian, Italian and Maltese populations. Discussion The close relationship between Syrian and Italian and Maltese olives was consistent with the historical domestication and migration of olive tree from the North Levant to eastern Mediterranean basin. This study lays the foundations for a better understanding of olive genetic diversity in the Mediterranean basin and represents a step toward an optimal conservation and exploitation of olive genetic resources.

scholarly journals A note on the dynamics of food systems in Algeria: The example of the Ziban and the Souf

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
pp. 048-055
Author(s):  
Salah Bouchemal
Keyword(s):  
Food Systems ◽  
Agricultural Practices ◽  
Mediterranean Coast ◽  
Negative Consequences ◽  
Important Food ◽  
Sustainable Food ◽  
The Past ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

This work is about a note which records some results concerning a research undertaken in Algeria. It is part of a cooperation between several Mediterranean teams. Its objective is to report on current developments in agricultural practices on the environment and on the territories, in order to design conceptual scenarios that will draw profiles that can ensure sustainable food security in cities and the maintenance of biodiversity. Similarly, it will have another interest, it is to develop an exhaustive and homogeneous database on the western part of the Mediterranean basin. For Algeria, the studied areas are distributed on a biogeographical section, from the Mediterranean coast to the Sahara, that is to say, places sufficiently representative of the North-South ecological degradation and of the diversity of situations. The results reported in this note concern two Saharan areas, the Ziban and the Souf, as the final results of the research have not yet been achieved, since the project is still ongoing. In these two areas, agriculture in the past was limited to the traditional oasis system, just to ensure the subsistence of the inhabitants, but today, several factors have contributed to a revival of agriculture whose development is spectacular. Thus, the Ziban and the Souf have become very important food producing areas and even exporters of food products. However, it should be pointed out that this dynamic, if it is a source of innovation, it has negative consequences on the oasis heritage and on the environment.

The Nature and Origin of the Vertebrate Fauna

2009 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Blondel
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Large Degree ◽  
Tectonic Plates ◽  
Extinction Rates ◽  
The North ◽  
History Of ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Heterogeneous Region ◽  
Western Half ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The aim of this chapter is to provide an account of the complex history of Mediterranean faunas as they evolved from the end of the Pliocene about 1.8 million years ago until the present day. Reconstructing this history is difficult because the Mediterranean basin is one of the most complex regions in the world and is characterized by significant geographical and topographical variation. The Mediterranean basin was formed during the Tertiary by the convergence of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates, in combination with several African microplates, Iberia, and two main African promontories: Apulia in the west and Arabia in the east (Chapter 1 and Dercourt et al. 1986). Where the African and Eurasian plates meet, seismic and volcanic activity have combined with other processes to form a very heterogeneous region. High mountains and deeply dissected topography form the main part of a coastline some 46,000 km in length, 18,000 of which are island shores (Chapter 13). A dominant feature of the region, which has had many consequences for species diversity and the process of differentiation, is the striking contrast between the northern half of the basin with its many large peninsulas—Iberian, Apennine, Balkan, and Anatolian—and the southern half with its more or less rectilinear shorelines. In addition, there is a marked biogeographical contrast between the western and the eastern halves of the Mediterranean, the former having shifted somewhat to the north with respect to the latter. The line separating the two north–south ranges in each half of the basin runs approximately along the 36th parallel in the western half and the 33rd in the eastern half. In the western half, west of the Sicily–Cap Bon line, biota are more boreal in character and overlap to a large degree with those of central Europe. To the east, biota have more affinities with central Asia (Blondel and Aronson 1999). Modern patterns of regional floral and faunal diversity mostly result from differential speciation and extinction rates during the Quaternary (Chapter 4).

scholarly journals A Lagrangian analysis of the variation in moisture sources related to drier and wetter conditions in regions around the Mediterranean Basin

2011 ◽  
Vol 11 (8) ◽  
pp. 2307-2320 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Drumond ◽  
R. Nieto ◽  
E. Hernandez ◽  
L. Gimeno
Keyword(s):  
North Africa ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Eastern Mediterranean ◽  
Specific Humidity ◽  
Lagrangian Analysis ◽  
Moisture Sources ◽  
The North ◽  
Short Period ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. Here, we describe our use of the Lagrangian 3-D FLEXPART model to investigate the variation in sources of moisture related to the drier and wetter conditions of the different regions that surround the Mediterranean Basin. We carried out seasonal analyses for the period from March 2000 to February 2005, and identified those years with the highest and lowest rates of precipitation by season, averaged over eight different continental regions. The variation in specific humidity along the 10-day backward trajectories of the particles identified over the target areas was tracked for the selected period, and the characteristics of the moisture sources were then compared between wetter and drier conditions by season. Although they only represented a relatively short period, the results suggest that in most of the years chosen, the moisture sources were more extensive and/or more intense during wetter periods. The contribution of the north Atlantic as a source of moisture is apparent for the Iberian Peninsula, for France and for Central North Africa. Otherwise, the Mediterranean Sea is the predominant source for Eastern North Africa, and for the Italian and Balkan Peninsulas. Local sources provide moisture for the Eastern Mediterranean and Western North Africa.

Threatening processes and conservation management of endemic freshwater fish in the Mediterranean basin: a review

2011 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virgilio Hermoso ◽  
Miguel Clavero
Keyword(s):  
Water Management ◽  
Freshwater Fish ◽  
Water Availability ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Freshwater Biodiversity ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
The World ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Mediterranean endemic freshwater fish are among the most threatened biota in the world. The Mediterranean basin has experienced substantial reductions in precipitation and water availability, which will worsen with climate change. Current water policy is directed to increase water-supply demands, especially for agriculture, and not to improve water-use efficiency and implement integrated and sustainable water management. Illegal extractions are common, exacerbating problems for important protected areas. Management is needed to mitigate the conflicts between environmental water and human demand, and ensure availability of water to maintain ecological processes and Mediterranean freshwater biodiversity. Water availability is not the only threat, although it is exacerbated by pollution and invasive species. The uneven spatial distribution of threats across the Mediterranean basin requires different strategies to conserve freshwater biodiversity. Implementation of multi-national laws (e.g. Water Framework Directive in the European Union) will help future management of freshwater ecosystems. Management actions must be planned at whole-catchment scales, with collaboration among different countries and water-management authorities. The current reserve area is small compared with other areas in the world and driven by terrestrial interests, and should be evaluated for its effectiveness to protect the Mediterranean freshwater biodiversity.

scholarly journals Rapid and sudden advection of warm and dry air in the Mediterranean basin

2013 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 3735-3762
Author(s):  
J. Mazon ◽  
D. Pino ◽  
M. Barriendos
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Maximum Temperature ◽  
Data Series ◽  
Synoptic Situation ◽  
Dry Air ◽  
The North ◽  
American Meteorological Society ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Using Data ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Abstract. Rapid advection of extremely warm and dry air is studied during two events in the Mediterranean basin. On 27 August 2010 a rapid advection of extremely warm and dry air affected the northeast Iberian Peninsula during few hours. At the Barcelona city center, the temperature reached 39.3 °C, which is the maximum temperature value recorded during 230 yr of daily data series. On 23 March 2008 a similar synoptic situation was the cause of a rapid increase of temperature and drop of relative humidity recorded for few hours in Heraklion (Crete). During the morning on that day the recorded temperature reaches 34 °C for several hours in the north coastline of this island. According to the World Meteorological Organization none of these events can be classified as a heat wave, which requires at least two days of abnormally high temperatures; or as a heat burst as defined by the American Meteorological Society, where abnormal temperatures take place over a few minutes. For this reason, we suggest naming this type of event flash heat. By using data from automatic weather stations in the Barcelona and Heraklion area and WRF mesoscale numerical simulations, these events are analyzed. Additionally, the primary risks and possible impacts on several fields are presented.

scholarly journals Assessing the Potential of Short Sea Shipping and the Benefits in Terms of External Costs: Application to the Mediterranean Basin

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (13) ◽  
pp. 5383 ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Comi ◽  
Antonio Polimeni
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Choice Model ◽  
Western Mediterranean ◽  
External Costs ◽  
Short Sea Shipping ◽  
The Road ◽  
The North ◽  
Western Mediterranean Basin ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The paper aims to investigate short sea shipping services as a competitive, sustainable freight transport system which is able to respond to economic, social and environmental needs. An assessment methodology is proposed which considers an aggregate discrete choice model, simulating the split between the competitive transport alternatives in the Mediterranean basin. The proposed methodology was used to assess the potential of short sea shipping (SSS) and the net benefits deriving from lower external costs in the north-western Mediterranean basin. Two future scenarios are considered: introduction of new SSS services as envisaged by current EU projects and plans, and the introduction of new SSS routes and an increase in frequencies of existing services. Significant results were obtained in terms of shifting freight traffic from the road network as well as external benefits.

scholarly journals Dietary Antioxidants in the Mediterranean Diet

Antioxidants ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (8) ◽  
pp. 1213
Author(s):  
Alexandra Barbouti ◽  
Vlasios Goulas
Keyword(s):  
Cardiovascular Diseases ◽  
Health Effects ◽  
Mediterranean Diet ◽  
Mortality Risk ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Epidemiological Studies ◽  
Dietary Antioxidants ◽  
The North ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

Epidemiological studies performed during the second half of the previous century have correlated the diet that prevailed in the north shores of the Mediterranean basin with beneficial health effects, including reduced mortality risk and lower incidences of cardiovascular diseases [...]

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