State and pressures of the marine and coastal Mediterranean environment

(2000) State and pressures of the marine and coastal Mediterranean environment. Technical Report. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Official URL: http://www.eea.eu.int

Summary

The report, prepared by the European Environment Agency (EEA) and its European Topic Centre on the Marine and Coastal Environment (ETC/MCE) in cooperation with the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), presents an overview of the Mediterranean marine and coastal environment. The report adopts the DPSIR assessment framework (Driving Forces/pressures/State/Impacts/ Response) developed by EEA, and describes the various interactions between human activities and environment. The report makes an attempt to give a picture of the region and reflect important and characteristic features of the Mediterranean marine environment and the impacts of human activities, based on the best available information in 1997-98. In presenting and assessing the state and pressures of the marine and coastal environment based on the best available data, the report identifies possible gaps in current knowledge, especially in the field of marine environmental monitoring. The report does not attempt to describe in detail the activities undertaken in the region by the various bodies. The report presents objectives and recommends actions to improve the quality and availability of information from the area. It describes the Mediterranean Sea and its coastal zone by reviewing: · its natural characteristics including morphology, seismicity, climate and hydrographic conditions; · the human activities (or driving forces), including urbanisation, tourism, loads and discharges through rivers and from coastal population, agriculture, maritime traffic, industry, oil industry and the influence of fisheries and aquaculture, which exert pressures (in the marine and coastal Mediterranean environment); · its environmental state and the main threats, including the state of eutrophication, microbial pollution and chemical and radioactive contamination in the Mediterranean marine ecosystems; · the ecosystem sensitivity and impacts from climate change, changes in biodiversity and a discussion of environmental-quality related health risks in the area; and · the responses at the regional level, giving information about the international programmes that have been launched in the Mediterranean Sea. Data mainly from MEDPOL (Mediterranean Pollution Programme) and Blue Plan databases were used for assessment. Scientific literature, data and technical reports from other international organisations (e.g. FAO) and at national level have also been taken into consideration. The assessment has focused, where appropriate and available to the authors, on reliable and qualityassured data.

Item Type:	Monograph (Technical Report)
Subjects:	Coastal human activities > Coastal aquaculture Coastal human activities > Coastal tourism and leisure activities Coastal natural environment > Coastal habitats Coastal areas > Mediterranean Coastal human activities > Coastal agriculture Coastal issues and impacts > Coastal erosion Coastal issues and impacts > Climate change and global warming Coastal issues and impacts > Coastal pollution Coastal human activities > Coastal energy production > Coastal non renewable energy production > Fossil fuels energy production
Deposited By:	Dr T Redding
Deposited On:	28 Jun 2006

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