The EBSAs are special areas in the ocean that serve important purposes, in one way or another, to support the healthy functioning of oceans and the many services that it provides. These areas are recollected into MAPAMED which is a cartographic database of key information on Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) potential Other Effective área-based Conservation Measure (OECMs), and more broadly on sites of interest for marine conservation. It is developed and administered jointly by UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the MedPAN Association. For detailed information, please consult the MAPAMED user manual (April 2021 version).

Biosphere Reserve consists of a dynamic and interactive network of sites of excellence. It fosters the harmonious integration of people and nature for sustainable development through participatory dialogue; knowledge sharing; poverty reduction and human well-being improvements; respect for cultural values and society’s ability to cope with change - thus contributing to the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Accordingly, the Network is one of the main international tools to develop and implement sustainable development approaches in a wide array of contexts. The Network of Biosphere Reserves promotes North-South and South-South collaboration and represents a unique tool for international co-operation through sharing knowledge, exchanging experiences, building capacity and promoting best practices. These areas are recollected into MAPAMED which is a cartographic database of key information on Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) potential Other Effective área-based Conservation Measure (OECMs), and more broadly on sites of interest for marine conservation. It is developed and administered jointly by UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the MedPAN Association. For detailed information, please consult the MAPAMED user manual (April 2021 version).

Under the Convention on Wetlands (Ramsar, 1971), each Contracting Party undertakes to designate at least one wetland site for inclusion in the List of Wetlands of International Importance. There are over 2,000 "Ramsar Sites" on the territories of over 160 Contracting Parties across the world. All Site information is provided by the Contracting Parties to the Convention. Responsibility for the accuracy and completeness of the data lies with the Administrative Authority of the Party that has added the Site to the List of Wetlands of International Importance. These areas are recollected into MAPAMED which is a cartographic database of key information on Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) potential Other Effective área-based Conservation Measure (OECMs), and more broadly on sites of interest for marine conservation. It is developed and administered jointly by UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the MedPAN Association. For detailed information, please consult the MAPAMED user manual (April 2021 version).

The Marine Protected Area Protection Framework (MaPAF; Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al., 2016) was adapted to update progress on the protection of Pelagos Sanctuary marine biodiversity. Accordingly, protection was conceived as an additive process entailing two complementary factors: 1. Legal protection and 2. Managerial protection. Legal protection was assessed through two indicators: 1.1. Legal designation, contributing to protection coverage targets, and 1.2. Regulation stringency, contributing to strict protection targets. Managerial protection was assessed via two indicators: 2.1. Existence of a management authority for the site (this layer), and 2.2. Existence of a management plan that is fully implemented. Both indicators are expected to contribute to effective Marine Protected Areas & Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) management targets. Thus, a site can be legally protected (typically, an MPA), by management measures (e.g. an OECM), attaining different degrees of conservation to their biodiversity. Therefore, a site that has been endowed a stringent legal designation category which has an appointed managerial authority that fully implements the site’s management plan is assumed to have greater protection than a site with opposite characteristics.

The Marine Protected Area Protection Framework (MaPAF; Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al., 2016) was adapted to update progress on the protection of Pelagos Sanctuary marine biodiversity. Accordingly, protection was conceived as an additive process entailing two complementary factors: 1. Legal protection and 2. Managerial protection. Legal protection was assessed through two indicators: 1.1. Legal designation (this specific layer), contributing to protection coverage targets, and 1.2. Regulation stringency, contributing to strict protection targets. Managerial protection was assessed via two indicators: 2.1. Existence of a management authority for the site, and 2.2. Existence of a management plan that is fully implemented. Both indicators are expected to contribute to effective Marine Protected Areas & Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) management targets. Thus, a site can be legally protected (typically, an MPA), by management measures (e.g. an OECM), attaining different degrees of conservation to their biodiversity. Therefore, a site that has been endowed a stringent legal designation category which has an appointed managerial authority that fully implements the site’s management plan is assumed to have greater protection than a site with opposite characteristics.

The Pelagos Sanctuary is a marine area of 87,500 sq. km subject to an agreement between Italy, Monaco and France for the protection of marine mammals, which live in it. What makes the Pelagos Sanctuary for Mediterranean Marine Mammals unique is the fact that it is a site managed by three different authorities and includes coastal areas and international waters that form a large ecosystem of major scientific, socio-economic, cultural and educational interest. The entire Sanctuary can be broadly considered to be a biogeographically distinct sub-section of the Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) that is the Mediterranean. This sub-section is marked by greater productivity caused by a variety of mechanisms of fertilization enhancing the level of primary production: coastal waters, the delayed effect of winter mixing, the frontal area, upwelling phenomena and complex structures that combine divergent and convergent features. However, the biodiversity within this sub-section of the Marine Ecosystem of Great Dimension Mediterranean undergoes the combined pressure of natural environmental fluctuations and human impacts. This área is recollected into MAPAMED which is a cartographic database of key information on Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) potential Other Effective área-based Conservation Measure (OECMs), and more broadly on sites of interest for marine conservation. It is developed and administered jointly by UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the MedPAN Association. For detailed information, please consult the MAPAMED user manual (April 2021 version).

A Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) is an area that needs special protection through action by IMO because of its significance for recognized ecological or socio-economic or scientific reasons and which may be vulnerable to damage by international maritime activities. The criteria for the identification of particularly sensitive sea areas and the criteria for the designation of special areas are not mutually exclusive. In many cases a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area may be identified within a Special Area and vice versa. These areas are recollected into MAPAMED which is a cartographic database of key information on Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) potential Other Effective área-based Conservation Measure (OECMs), and more broadly on sites of interest for marine conservation. It is developed and administered jointly by UNEP/MAP-SPA/RAC and the MedPAN Association. For detailed information, please consult the MAPAMED user manual (April 2021 version).

The Marine Protected Area Protection Framework (MaPAF; Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al., 2016) was adapted to update progress on the protection of Pelagos Sanctuary marine biodiversity. Accordingly, protection was conceived as an additive process entailing two complementary factors: 1. Legal protection and 2. Managerial protection. Legal protection was assessed through two indicators: 1.1. Legal designation, contributing to protection coverage targets, and 1.2. Regulation stringency, contributing to strict protection targets. Managerial protection was assessed via two indicators: 2.1. Existence of a management authority for the site, and 2.2. Existence of a management plan that is fully implemented (this layer). Both indicators are expected to contribute to effective Marine Protected Areas & Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) management targets. Thus, a site can be legally protected (typically, an MPA), by management measures (e.g. an OECM), attaining different degrees of conservation to their biodiversity. Therefore, a site that has been endowed a stringent legal designation category which has an appointed managerial authority that fully implements the site’s management plan is assumed to have greater protection than a site with opposite characteristics.

The Marine Protected Area Protection Framework (MaPAF; Rodríguez-Rodríguez et al., 2016) was adapted to update progress on the protection of Pelagos Sanctuary marine biodiversity. Accordingly, protection was conceived as an additive process entailing two complementary factors: 1. Legal protection and 2. Managerial protection. Legal protection was assessed through two indicators: 1.1. Legal designation, contributing to protection coverage targets, and 1.2. Regulation stringency (this specific layer), contributing to strict protection targets. Managerial protection was assessed via two indicators: 2.1. Existence of a management authority for the site, and 2.2. Existence of a management plan that is fully implemented. Both indicators are expected to contribute to effective Marine Protected Areas & Other Effective Area-Based Conservation Measures (OECMs) management targets. Thus, a site can be legally protected (typically, an MPA), by management measures (e.g. an OECM), attaining different degrees of conservation to their biodiversity. Therefore, a site that has been endowed a stringent legal designation category which has an appointed managerial authority that fully implements the site’s management plan is assumed to have greater protection than a site with opposite characteristics.