- Reporter:
- PAP/RAC
- Geographical scale of the assessment:
-
Mediterranean, with a focus on France, Italy, Montenegro
- Contributing countries:
- France, Italy, Montenegro
- Mid-Term Strategy (MTS) Core Theme:
- 3-Land and Sea Interaction and Processes
- Ecological Objective:
-
Ecological Objective 8 (EO8): Coastal Ecosystems and Landscapes
- IMAP Common Indicator:
- Common Indicator 16 (CI16): Length of coastline subject to physical disturbance due to the influence of manmade structures
- Indicator Assessment Factsheet Code:
- EO8CI16
GES Definition: Physical disturbance to coastal areas induced by human activities should be minimized.
GES Targets:
- Pressure: Negative impacts of human activities on coastal areas are minimized through appropriate management measures.
Background
The Mediterranean coastline is approximately 46000 km long, with around 40% of the coastal zone being under some form of artificial land cover (Plan Bleu, 2005). Mediterranean coastal areas are threatened by development that modifies the coastline through the construction of buildings and infrastructure that are needed to sustain residential, tourism, commercial, transport and other activities. This development can cause irreversible damage to landscapes; habitats and biodiversity; and shoreline configuration. This Ecological Objective 8 (EO8): Coastal Ecosystems and Landscapes, does not have a precedent in other regional ecosystem approach initiatives, such as Helcom or OSPAR, neither in the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD).
Assessment methods
Monitoring of the Common Indicator 16 focuses on measuring the length of artificial coastline and its share in total country’s coastline, on a proper geographical scale. An example of artificial vs. natural coastline can be seen in example on breakwaters in Figure 2.
Results and Status, including trends
Until now there has been no systematic monitoring in Mediterranean regarding the Length of coastline subject to physical disturbance. The only country that has implemented the monitoring of this indicator on a national level, at the moment, is Italy. There were also assessments on national level in France and Montenegro, but these assessments, although quite similar, do not fully resemble the implementation of the common indicator 16, since they pre-date it. However, they still provide a deep insight on the state of Montenegrin and French coastlines regarding length of artificialized coastline.
Conclusions
The inclusion of the EO8 Common Indicator aims to address the need for a systematic monitoring in Mediterranean regarding the physical disturbance of coastline due to the influence of manmade structures. On the other hand, it offers very few examples to follow, especially since this indicator has no operational precedents in regional ecosystem approach initiatives, such as Helcom or OSPAR, neither in Marine Strategy Framework Directive.
Key messages
- Mediterranean coastal areas are threatened by intensive construction of buildings and other infrastructure that can impact landscapes, habitats and biodiversity. The national reporting on state and evolution of coastal zones is required by the ICZM Protocol
- There was no systematic monitoring in Mediterranean regarding coastal artificialization by now. The only country that has implemented the monitoring of the EO8 common indicator on a national level by this moment is Italy, with Montenegro and France performing similar inventories;
References
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