Towards an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme in the Mediterranean

1. Towards an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme in the Mediterranean • 16th Meeting of the Marine Strategy Coordination Group (MSCG) • 4 April • European Commission, • Conference Centre Albert Borschette • Brussels, Belgium

2. Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance • COP18 EcAp Decision (Decision IG. 23/1) • “Request the Secretariat to: • Prepare in cooperation with MAP components and competent partner organizations, through a participatory process involving Contracting Parties and the scientific community, a Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance for consideration during the first meeting of EcAp CG in 2014 and a draft Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme to be presented at the 19th Meeting of the Contracting Parties for adoption.”

3. Towards an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Programme • Building on: • Monitoring and Assessment Methodological Guidance; • Ongoing MEDPOL monitoring programme; • Existing monitoring practices of the Contracting Parties; • Relevant articles of Barcelona Convention’s Protocols related to monitoring, when available; • Relevant practice of other Regional Sea Conventions, noting Mediterranean specifics. • Recommendations of the EcAp Coordination Group of October 2014 and previous work of the CORMONs; • Work of the informal online working groups.

4. Some key recommendations of the Integrated CORMON on the Main elements of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme • Undertake an assessment of list of most important pressures (noting that the list of the most important pressures could be used for the identification of further needed measures); • Prepare a policy makers guide specifying key definitions, common indicators, interlinkages between common indicators, sampling and analysis methodologies, adequate technologies and related costs; • Amend the UNEP/MAP Technical Report Series No. 120 with particular reference to the sampling period (case of fish) and sampling frequency (case of sediments); • Extend and amend the existing reporting formats used for contaminants and biological responses in MED POL database to avoid gaps of the information required and to facilitate the proper assessment of environmental criteria; • Present at the PAP/RAC Focal Points Meeting the initial outcomes of the EcAp Pilot Project on the candidate common indicator on coast (land-use change) and propose based on the initial outcomes a way forward to the monitoring of this candidate indicator in the initial phase of the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme; • Present to the EcAp Coordination Group a draft Guidance Document, on how to reflect changes in hydrographical conditions in relevant assessments (such as Environmental Impact Assessments).

5. Main elements of an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme • Is a living document, enabling discussions on how to achieve agreement on a regional integrated monitoring and assessment programme; • Will be discussed again at the respective Focal Points Meetings; • Will be further discussed and elaborated in the Informal Online Working Groups; • With the aim to be able to propose the draft Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme and discuss it at the EcAp Coordination Group Meeting in September 2015. • Work on the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme has been greatly supported by the EcAp-MED EU funded project.

6. Contact:Gyorgyi Gurban EcAp-MED Project Officer: Gyorgyi.Gurban@unepmap.grTatiana Hema MED POL Programme Officer (EO 5, 9, 10): Tatiana.hema@unepmap.grGabino Gonzalez REMPEC Programme Officer (EO 9, 10): ggonzalez@rempec.orgDaniel Cebrian RAC/SPA Programme Officer (EO 1, 2, 3): Daniel.cebrian@rac-spa.orgMarko Prem PAP/RAC Programme Officer (EO 7, 8): marko.prem@paprac.org • THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION! • United Nations Environment Programme • Coordinating Unit for the Mediterranean Action Plan • Vassileos Konstantinou 48 • Athens 11635 • Greece • www.unepmap.org