Pilot project towards a harmonized legal framework for the conservation of Mediterranean living marine resources and ecosystems | GFCM-Lex

Fisheries and aquaculture legislation varies throughout the Mediterranean region and the information about legislative frameworks is scattered and difficult to find. In general, the national legislations of GFCM contracting parties and cooperating non-contracting parties (CPCs) are presented in different formats, which are often accessible in the national language only. Furthermore, access to the documentation related to such legislation can be very limited, particularly when there is no legal background. In addition, there is a lack of repositories/databases collecting information on marine living resources and marine ecosystems at the regional level.

The GFCM Regional Repository (GFCM-Lex) offers a transparent and user-friendly access to information about a country’s legislation relating to fisheries and aquaculture for fishers, practitioners, administrators, scientists, law specialists and any other person who interested in such information. It provides reliable information on relevant legislation for the management of marine living resources and ecosystems and on binding recommendations adopted by the GFCM. GFCM-Lex is available in English, in addition to the national languages of the countries covered.

During phase one of GFCM-Lex, only restricted and selected access to the platform will be granted. Please contact the GFCM Secretariat to request access.

IMPLEMENTATION AREA:

DURATION:

Jan. 2019 - Dec. 2022

FOCUS COUNTRIES:

1^st phase
Albania, Tunisia, Turkey

2^nd phase
Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco

Post-phase 2
Rest of the Mediterranean

USERS

➜ Fishers

➜ Practitioners

➜ Policy makers

➜ Students

➜ Researchers

➜ Scientists

➜ National administrations

➜ Non-governmental organizations

and any other relevant stakeholder interested to learn more about the topic.

OBJECTIVES

Provide a single access point to national legislation on the conservation of marine living resources and ecosystems in the in the GFCM area of application
Contribute to knowledge sharing, capacity building and development in relation to the conservation of marine living resources and ecosystems
Promote a better understanding of existing linkages between the national legislation in place and binding recommendations adopted by the GFCM.
Offer a coherent approach to national legislations on the conservation of marine living resources and ecosystems by identifying key areas:
- Aquaculture-fisheries interactions
- Access regimes to fisheries resources
- Conservation and management
- Monitoring, control and surveillance

Phase 1: Main outputs

Identification of common standards and of a subregional methodology to facilitate the compilation, harmonization and dissemination of knowledge on national legislation.
Creation and launch of GFCM-Lex, the GFCM regional repository of national legislation with three pilot countries: Albania, Turkey and Tunisia.
Identification of national legislation in Albania, Turkey and Tunisia for the platform
Training of national stakeholders on the benefits and use of GFCM-Lex and how to contribute to it
Preparation and dissemination of material (video and brochure) to promote the project, raise awareness on GFCM recommendations and related national legislations in place, and encourage the replication of best practices

AR|EN|TR

SQ | AR | EN | FR | TR

Phase 2: Expected results

Phase 2 of the project is expanding the geographical scope of the project to include Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco. Collaboration with the National Focal Points is being strengthened to identify relevant national legislation. Phase 2 builds upon the success of Phase 1 and focuses on the following actions:

Identification of national legislation in Algeria, Egypt, Lebanon and Morocco
Creation of additional country profiles in the GFCM-Lex repository
Training of national stakeholders on the benefits and use of GFCM-Lex and how to contribute to it
Preparation and dissemination of material to promote the project, raise awareness on GFCM recommendations and related national legislations in place and encourage the replication of best practices.

All users are welcome to contribute to the content of GFCM-Lex by providing relevant updates and materials. Please visit GFCM-Lex and follow the instructions. The GFCM Secretariat and the National Focal Points are ready to cooperate with researchers, associations, universities and any other stakeholder interested in the project.

CONTACT

GFCM: Mr Nicola Ferri, Fishery Officer (Compliance)
Albania: Mr Arian Palluqi, National Focal Point
Tunisia: Mr Hamadi Mejri, National Focal Point
Turkey: Mr Bayram Ozturk, National Focal Point

With the financial support of :