General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean - GFCM

Marine protected areas: a tool to achieve sustainable fisheries and support livelihoods in the region


30/11/2016

On the occasion of a workshop held by the GFCM within the framework of the 2016 Forum of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean organized in Tangier, Morocco, by the Network of Marine Protected Area Managers in the Mediterranean (MedPAN), the GFCM reiterates the important role played by marine protected areas to achieve successful fisheries management and sustainable livelihoods in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.

As highlighted in a video released at the opening of the workshop, marine protected areas represent indeed an effective management tool that enables to protect vulnerable ecosystems as well as nursery and spawning areas in order to increase the productivity of fisheries and improve the situation of fisheries and fishers in the region.

In light of the crucial role played by small-scale fisheries in these special areas, many efforts are currently being deployed to support this sector and ensure its fruitful integration with marine protected areas in the region while promoting the participation of fishers and fishworkers in related decision-making processes.

In line with the FAO Voluntary Guidelines for Securing Sustainable Small-Scale Fisheries in the Context of Food Security and Poverty Eradication (SSF Guidelines) and based on the conclusions of the Regional Conference “Building a future for sustainable small-scale fisheries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea”, held in Algeria in March 2016, a specific work programme dedicated to small-scale fisheries has been set up within the GFCM. Moreover, the recently adopted Mid-term strategy (2017–2020) towards the sustainability of Mediterranean and Black Sea fisheries has devoted several actions to achieve healthier marine ecosystems and more productive fisheries and to ensure better livelihoods for coastal communities through sustainable small-scale fisheries.

One of the main challenges for our future work is to contribute to Aichi targets for Biodiversity and to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development addressing in particular Sustainable Development Goal 14 which is to “Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”.

The English and French versions of the video are available here: