Mediterranean Basin

The Mediterranean Basin biodiversity hotspot is the second largest hotspot in the world and the largest of the world’s five Mediterranean-climate regions. The hotspot covers more than 2 million square kilometers and stretches west to east from Portugal to Jordan and north to south from northern Italy to Cape Verde.

It is the third richest hotspot in the world in terms of its plant diversity (Mittermeier et al. 2004). Approximately 30,000 plant species occur, and more than 13,000 species are found nowhere else, or endemic, to the hotspot; yet, many more are being discovered every year (Plantlife International 2010, unpublished report).

Rivaling the natural diversity in the hotspot, the cultural, linguistic and socioeconomic diversity of the region is spectacular. The region contains some of the world’s first and greatest civilizations, the world’s oldest sovereign state and its first constitutional republic with San Marino dating back to 301 A.D.

Many of the ecosystems reached an equilibrium long ago with human activity dominating the landscapes. However, this delicate balance is in a precarious state as many local communities depend on remaining habitats for fresh water, food and a variety of other ecosystem services. CEPF investment in the Mediterranean Basin Hotspot is essential to stem the threats, balance economic development with the needs of natural areas, and conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services in this vast region.

CEPF’s niche will be to work with all actors engaged in conservation and development activities in Mediterranean Basin countries to foster partnerships in priority corridors and sites. Such partnerships will seek to reduce impacts of these developments on natural resources and systems that the large communities are dependent on. In addition, opportunities to increase the benefits and reduce upland shifts in land use by the communities within these landscapes will be explored. ​​​​​​

The Mediterranean Basin is one of the biological wonders of the world.  This hotspot is also one of the most popular tourism destinations of the world, with 32 percent of the world’s tourists (220 million per year) visiting the hotspot (Plan Bleu 2006). Species populations in the hotspot have become increasingly fragmented and isolated as a result of infrastructural development mainly triggered by the tourism industry. The pressure on scarce water resources resulting from major water investments as well as climate change has recently become the most important pressure on nature. The increasing number and magnitude of water investments has caused irreversible damage to the fragile water cycle of small rivers basins in the hotspot.

Currently, few funding organizations support civil society to play a vital role in the conservation of priority key biodiversity areas and the water basins where these areas are located. Most key biodiversity areas are inhabited by large numbers of people that closely rely on water and other natural resources in these areas. Therefore, civil society in the hotspot, in its own right, is crucially positioned to conserve and sustain biodiversity. Furthermore, civil society organizations can effectively stimulate partnership between the governments and the corporate sector toward conservation of biodiversity.

CEPF investments will focus on six biodiversity conservation corridors with 50 of the highest-priority key biodiversity areas. The remaining 218 key biodiversity areas in these six priority corridors will benefit from landscape-level interventions as they are critical for maintaining the integrity of ecosystem processes and services. In addition a further 20 key biodiversity areas represent highly irreplaceable and vulnerable sites in five other corridors will be the focus of site-level investments. A number of these sites also contain some of the last remaining pristine coastline in the Mediterranean Basin. In total, 15 countries will benefit from the investment.  

Four strategic directions will guide our approach, which is based on an ecosystem profile that was developed with stakeholders in the region:

1. Promote civil society involvement in Integrated Coastal Zone Management to minimize
    the negative effects of coastal development in three priority corridors (Southwest
    Balkans, Cyrenaican Peninsula, and Mountains, Plateaus and Wetlands of Algerian
    Tell and Tunisia), and in 20 coastal and marine priority key biodiversity areas in other
    corridors.
2. Establish the sustainable management of water catchments and the wise use of
    water resources with a focus on the priority corridors of the (1) Atlas Mountains, (2)
    Taurus Mountains, (3) Orontes Valley and Lebanon Mountains and (4) Southwest
    Balkans
3. Improve the conservation and protection status of 44 priority key biodiversity areas
4. Provide strategic leadership and effective coordination of CEPF investment through a
    regional implementation team