Two Steps Forward, One Step Backward: Societal Capacity and Israel's Implementation of the Barcelona Convention and the Mediterranean Action Plan

2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 51-71 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erika Weinthal ◽  
Yael Parag
Keyword(s):  
International Institutions ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Environmental Ngos ◽  
Israeli Government ◽  
Societal Actors ◽  
Improve Compliance ◽  
Emergence Of Cooperation ◽  
One Step ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Barcelona Convention

A large literature exists regarding explanations for the emergence of cooperation in the Mediterranean basin, but there is less information regarding the effectiveness of Mediterranean cooperation and its programs. Through a case study of Israel's implementation and compliance with the Barcelona Convention and the Mediterranean Action Plan, we evaluate the effectiveness of these international institutions. We find that international institutions and their efforts to target state capacity as the mechanism to improve compliance and effectiveness are often misguided unless their efforts are also directed towards enhancing societal capacity. We then explicate the way in which societal actors such as environmental NGOs can improve domestic compliance and effectiveness. These findings are illuminated through an assessment of the activities of several environmental NGOs in Israel to target Mediterranean pollution and coastal management policies. Where NGOs have taken action, they have often proved successful in forcing the Israeli government and the business sector to honor its environmental commitments.

scholarly journals The concept of sustainable development in the mediterranean : emergence and recurrence

1999 ◽  
Vol 54 (2) ◽  
pp. 105-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Chabason
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Ecological Impact ◽  
United Nations Environment Programme ◽  
Sustainable Urban Development ◽  
The European Union ◽  
First Results ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Set Up ◽  
Barcelona Convention

Abstract. The history ofthe relationship between man and nature, since time immemorial, sets the scene for studying issues related to sustainable development. Concepts of «carrying capacity» and «ecological impact» are not new, as is illustrated by the example of the use of water resources in Ancient Greece. The Mediterranean region is particularly sensitive to such problems, and the protection of the Mediterranean sea was one of the first results to emerge from the Stockholm Conference in 1972. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), born after the Conference, gave birth to the Mediterranean Action Plan, leading to the Barcelona Convention linking together twenty coastal states, as well as the European Union. In this framework, the Blue Plan was set up and designed to study the impacts on the environment of development and population growth. Several possible scenarios were set up, providing background material for the Earth Summit in Rio. The period between 1990 – 1995 saw the newly set up Mediterranean Commission dealing with issues relating to water (management, pollution), tourism (colonisation of natural sites, pressure on the environment) and sustainable management of coastal regions. Other points were also raised recently, such as sustainable urban development. However, this institutionalisation of environmental problems that happen at both the national and international levels, should not lead to a compromise Statement achieving nothing concrete. Indeed, the maintenance of environmental achievements and the definition of new concepts should allow sustainable development to move forward.

The Mediterranean Action Plan: A Regional Approach to Pollution Control

1986 ◽  
Vol 18 (9) ◽  
pp. 197-205
Author(s):  
Lj Jeftié ◽  
L. J. Saliba
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Control Measures ◽  
Industrial Wastes ◽  
Pollution Monitoring ◽  
Environmental Preservation ◽  
Agricultural Pesticides ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
A Prospective Study ◽  
And Control

Increasing concern over the deterioration of the Mediterranean sea as a result of increasing pollution by untreated sewage and industrial wastes, agricultural pesticides and fertilizers and oil discharges, led to a series of meetings between 1970 and 1974, and finally to the UNEP-sponsored Mediterranean Action Plan, adopted by governments of the region in 1975 and ongoing since that time. The legal component of the Plan includes a framework Convention and four protocols; the environmental assessment component (the MED POL programme) consists of national pollution monitoring programmes, and research projects conducted by Mediterranean institutions; the environmental management component consists of the Blue Plan (a prospective study combining socio-economic development with environmental preservation) and the Priority Actions Programme (a series of sub-region sectoral projects in defined areas). The Plan has been financed by Mediterranean States since 1979, and is managed by UNEP with the cooperation of other competent UN Agencies. During the last ten years, activities undertaken have improved knowledge of the state of pollution of the Mediterranean sea, and facilitated joint regional action in the form of preventive and control measures.

scholarly journals HOLOTIPUS IN MARINE BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

Holotipus ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 2 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-2
Author(s):  
Daniela Pessani
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Marine Environment ◽  
Mediterranean Basin ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Physical Chemical ◽  
Fragile Environment ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
The Mediterranean Basin

The oceans are a vast yet fragile environment, and one of the biggest issues scientists have to tackle today is the conservation of marine biodiversity. In 1975, to try to address the physical, chemical and biological alteration of these delicate ecosystems, 16 Mediterranean States together with the European Union, implemented the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP). The aim was to safeguard the marine environment and promote its development in the Mediterranean basin.

scholarly journals An updated overview of the geographic and bathymetric distribution of Savalia savaglia

2014 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 128 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mi. GIUSTI ◽  
C. CERRANO ◽  
M. ANGIOLILLO ◽  
L. TUNESI ◽  
S. CANESE
Keyword(s):  
Mediterranean Sea ◽  
Depth Range ◽  
Remotely Operated Vehicle ◽  
Protection Measure ◽  
The Past ◽  
Scuba Divers ◽  
Occurrence Data ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Recent Occurrence ◽  
Barcelona Convention

The distribution of gold coral Savalia savaglia is modified on the basis of bibliographic information and recent occurrence data, collected using a ROV (Remotely Operated Vehicle) and SCUBA divers. The species is long-lived, rare and has been exploited in the past by divers for collection purposes. S. savaglia is listed in Annex II of the SPA/BD Protocol of the Barcelona Convention and has a wider distribution than previously thought, including both the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean. Our results highlighted that specimens mainly live at a depth range of 15-90 m, but may reach as deep as 900 m in the Mediterranean Sea. This species can form monospecific facies of hundreds of colonies, as observed in Montenegro (Adriatic Sea), between 10 and 20 m, and in the Canary Islands, at a depth range of 27-70 m. Recent data highlighted numerous cases of specimens that were endangered by lost fishing gear, which exposed this species to further threats. Considering its longevity and structural role, it is urgent to develop an effective protection measure for S. savaglia, thereby increasing research efforts and implementing protection areas for this species.

An ICT-Based Network of Competence Centres for Developing Intellectual Capital in the Mediterranean Area

2011 ◽  
pp. 2380-2397
Author(s):  
Marco De Maggio ◽  
Pasquale Del Vecchio ◽  
Gianluca Elia ◽  
Francesca Grippa
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Capital ◽  
Action Plan ◽  
Business Management ◽  
Mediterranean Area ◽  
Fast Diffusion ◽  
Distinctive Features ◽  
Mediterranean Countries ◽  
Intellectual Assets ◽  
The Mediterranean ◽  
Access To Knowledge

The rising of the knowledge economy, enhanced by the fast diffusion of ICTs, drives a wider perspective on the divide among Countries, interpreting it more and more as the result of an asymmetry in the access to knowledge and in the readiness to apply it in order to renew the basics of their development dynamics. Looking at the Mediterranean Area, the positive correlation between the Networked Readiness Index and the Global Competitive Index developed at Global Economic Forum – INSEAD, shows that the opposite sides of the Mediterranean Sea are performing a development path at two different paces. In the effort to face the challenge of supporting the creation of Intellectual Capital able to apply, diffuse and benefit from e-business, in 2005 the e-Business Management Section (eBMS) of Scuola Superiore ISUFI – University of Salento launched the “Mediterranean School of e-Business Management”. The present work aims to offer a presentation of its genesis, its most distinctive features, operational model and action plan. The preliminary results of its activities show the role and the main challenges of the School in addressing the needs of the Mediterranean Countries towards a logic of partnership for the development of their Intellectual assets.

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