Only through understanding the environment can its sustainable future be designed. Equally, it is essential to share understanding with the communities that live in any given area because, when a community interacts with the environment it is difficult not to have a negative impact if information and awareness are lacking.
Such is the case in Albania where there are 540 kilometres of coastline and a varied coastal environment, characterised by a unique wetland landscape, lagoons, natural harbours, bays, dunes, cliffs, caves, and slopes. Although these areas are of outstanding natural and biological importance, many are under threat. Rivers transport waste from the Albanian hinterland down to the Mediterranean coast. In addition to this, illegal construction is taking place all along the coast, with the sensitive issue of cultural and archaeological heritage sites potentially being degraded.
Albania has recently embarked on a path towards future Marine Spatial Planning (MSP). The Minister of Tourism and Environment, Blendi Klosi, declared that it was time to develop a marine spatial plan in order to define responsibilities and set limits for exploiting the seas in cooperation with the Ministry of Transport. He considered that this would require a coordinated and cross-border approach between industry, fishing, citizens, and governments to ensure the most appropriate use of the sea. Through the GEF Adriatic project, Albania is creating an enabling environment for this approach. A series of sea-related events, held during August to November 2020 in Albania, were organised with the support of the Albanian Ministry of Tourism and Environment and the National Agency for Protected Areas. These events aimed to educate and involve young people and adults with regard to the importance of acting now in order to preserve and better manage Adriatic marine resources. During the events, participants and organisations discussed the complexities of their own diverse relationships with the marine environment.
Velipoje. Today's sea for tomorrow's citizens
An event on 26th August 2020 for teenagers (12 to 16) took place near the Buna-Velipoja River, in the Prefecture of Shkodra. It was titled “Water, the moving force of nature”. This Leonardo Da Vinci quote was chosen because, after all, young people are the moving force behind change towards a sustainable approach to marine environments. This event aimed, through a series of workshops, to mobilize young people and increase the knowledge they need to be able to support natural marine resources in future. The younger generation are the scientists, fishermen, tourist operators, and decision-makers of tomorrow.
Over a whole day, the participants were able to explore the coastal area, engage in outdoor sports activities, and, most importantly, become more aware of the impact of human activities and pollution on the ecosystem.
«Knowing that sea pollution has recently played a negative role, we should teach the younger generation that sea pollution starts from the land. We need to start from the land, keep it clean and educate people how to keep our environment as clean as possible», stated Agim Dardha, Regional Administration of Protected Areas in Shkoder.
Young people today are more aware of environmental issues than any other generation before them. «To clean, as much as possible, the environment, the place where we live, and the water can only be an advantage for us: there is no disadvantage in living a good and healthy life». «There should be more associations and institutions to deal with the protection of the environment and marine waters» explained Uendi Zylaj and Roel Smajlaj, two children participating in one of the workshops.
Maritime routes, tourism, and the environment
The exponential increase in tourist routes has led to new critical issues, frequently concerning the impact of tourism on the coastal environment. The workshop organized by the National Agency of Protected Areas in Albania on 12 September 2020 in Vlora examined new perspectives on the impact of human activity on the seas, paying particular attention to tourism. Zamir Dedej, Director of the National Agency of Protected Areas (NAPA), stated that to develop a marine spatial plan, it was necessary to clearly define shipping routes, marinas, the buoys where tourists can anchor their boats, and protected areas where fishing is forbidden. This is a precondition for MSP. Mr Dedej stressed the urgent need to establish a scientific research institute for the Albanian sea that can form the scientific backbone to any marine management decision, and added that at the moment Albania “unlike other countries, does not have a marine scientific research institution to deal with biology, chemistry, hydrology, and other elements related to its fauna and flora. We should clearly define where we should intervene and where we should not intervene”.
The workshop in Vlora was also attended by Igli Pushtina, President of the Albanian Diving Federation and Kastriot Zilja, President of the Sailing Association. They both highlighted the importance of cooperation between maritime surveillance institutions, maritime businesses, experts, and the community, essential for gathering the key data needed for maritime spatial planning. Cooperation can (and should) also go beyond the Albanian borders, as suggested by the Deputy Director of the Italian Agency for Cooperation and Development, Salvatore Ficarre. He shared his idea of developing the sites of the 19 ships which sank during the First and Second World Wars, found in Vlora Bay, into possible visitor attractions as a way to encourage off-season tourism.
Two days in one for sustainable development
On the occasion of the Mediterranean Coast Day (25 September) and World Tourism Day (27 September) the Ministry of Tourism and Environment and the National Agency of Protected Areas of Albania, within the framework of the GEF Adriatic project, organized an educational workshop in Durrës, on 26 September 2020 - with the motto “Feel natural, think blue”.
Finding ways to develop a Blue Economy, without damaging the sea, and by improving maritime legislation, was the focus of this workshop. Pirro Vengu, director of the Durrës Port Authority was discussing the opportunities for the port operators sector to provide better and environmentally friendly services for domestic and foreign tourist vessels, enabling their longer stay and better outcomes for local economies.
The need for stricter laws to preserve the environment was also discussed at the event. In addition, some research and planning opportunities were presented with a view to indicating the direction of marine spatial planning from 2020 to 2030. Genc Myftiu, SPA/RAC consultant, presented some of the most important ones in Patok Rodoni and Vlora bays. «The marine survey of the Patok-Rodoni area will shed light on the environmental values and challenges being the basis for the maritime planning of the area. The first marine planning guidelines for Vlora’s maritime space were prepared, opening the doors for future full MSP implementation in that important bay», said Genc Myftiu.
How to carry out a marine survey
Marine scientists, professionals from government, non-government institutions, and students held a workshop on 23 October 2020 in Shëngjin. It was organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Tourism and Environment with the theme: “Monitoring of physical and chemical parameters of the Adriatic Sea Protection Area, new concept, new approvals.” During the workshop, participants were invited onto a boat where they could take part in a demonstration of marine monitoring. The second part of the workshop focused on examining monitoring data on the Mati river mouth and the Adriatic Sea, and the role of Marine Protected Areas in coastal and water management.
The workshop provided an excellent opportunity for different professionals to exchange views and share their knowledge, united by the need to increase common understanding of how best to monitor the quality of the seas. «A comprehensive approach to sea monitoring should connect academic practices to science, decision-makers, and the local community. Integration is key to continuing protection of the Adriatic Sea. We need to start to share information and inform people. I think this is the most important part and we have to do it now. This project is important because it is the start of new knowledge about the sea and in particular about the sea of Albania. This is a message for everybody: we live thanks to the sea, so we have to get to know the sea better, because our life is completely connected to the sea», stated marine biologist and expert Monica Previati.
Marine environment, biodiversity and protected species
An awareness-raising event on the need for safeguarding the marine species, in particular marine turtles, took place on 6 November 2020 in Divjaka National Park. Organised by the National Agency for Protected Areas and the Ministry of Tourism and Environment, the workshop was designed and delivered in cooperation with Tirana University, the Faculty of Natural Sciences, and its students. Participants found the event inspiring and a great way to learn about the enormous potential there was to develop ecotourism and, as future consumers, to reduce waste, avoid polluting water, and protect marine life.
Participants also learned about the identification and rescue of endangered marine species, such as marine turtles. It was shown that the Divjaka Karavasta wetland offers ideal conditions for a large number of species to nest. The great diversity of habitats and aquatic environments found there provides good food and reproduction conditions, making it one of the key areas in Albania. Professor Enerit Sacdanaku said that after undertaking a study “the main results from evaluating our beaches was that a considerable percentage of these are of high and medium suitability for sea turtle nesting. One of them is the beach in Divjakë, where the first officially recorded nest of loggerhead sea turtles, called Caretta-Caretta, was reported in 2018”.
Overall these awareness raising events will encourage young people to take action.
To protect our seas it is necessary to act together. Similarly, planning for our future relationship with the sea requires a “holistic” view that crosses borders and brings together all stakeholders. Since the signing of the Barcelona Convention, contracting countries have undertaken to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES) for the Mediterranean Sea. Defined by the European Marine Directive, GES is “the environmental status of marine waters where these provide ecologically diverse and dynamic oceans and seas which are clean, healthy and productive”. It’s an extremely ambitious goal, which can only be achieved by implementing an integrated ecosystem approach for the sustainable management of human activities.
The GEF Adriatic project brought national teams of experts and policy-makers to work together to protect and conserve common marine resources for generations to come. The project focused on certain Albanian and Montenegrin coastal areas. These areas, facing the Adriatic Sea and part of the Mediterranean Sea basin, had little or no data and research to assess the actual condition of their maritime ecosystems. The project's activities have been fundamental in laying the foundations for the achievement or strengthening of GES of both countries’ marine and coastal environment.
Understanding based on knowledge makes for informed decisions. That’s why the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) was developed and adopted. Through IMAP it is possible to define the status of an environment on the basis of eleven ecological objectives (related to 11 ecological themes), each with precise indicators and targets.
These eleven ecological objectives form a mechanism for measuring the status of a marine ecosystem:
Once there are enough data available, an assessment can be undertaken using these ecological objectives and their indicators. This will indicate the current status of the marine and coastal environment, and whether good environmental status has been achieved, recovered, maintained or not achieved. Assessing the current environmental status requires making a comparison between a preferred state (GES) and an impacted one. Hence, it is important to be able to determine a reference condition against which the actual or potentially changed situation can be compared.
However, GES does not mean a state with no human impact at all, but instead represents a context where human activity is at a sustainable level. In cases where human activities and pressures exceed the acceptable level, a deviation from the desired state (GES) to the current state occurs, generally due to the effect of anthropogenic pressures. Regional and sub-regional cooperation is necessary to understand what the good environmental state of a certain area entails and how GES can be jointly achieved. This took place in initiatives carried out along the coasts of Albania and Montenegro where research activities were carried out under a selected number of ecological objectives, and eventually led to establishing the current status of an area with a view to achieving Good Environmental Status (GES).
Overview of Port Milena and Ulcinj Salina in southern Montenegro. Credit: Slaven Vilus.
Albania and Montenegro, with their 860 kilometres of sea and coastline, offer some of the most valuable resources to both countries’ economies and populations. But the interaction between human activities and the environment creates a complex relationship that often generates significant impacts and pressures on natural habitats and species.
The GEF Adriatic project demonstrated these interconnections in Albania and Montenegro. Among human activities, tourism, too, can generate litter which in turn affects human activities and the overall quality of life and health of human beings as well as ecosystems. Naturally, human activities, which depend on these very same resources, take place within ecosystems. It is helpful to understand and analyse the typical complexities in order to be able to identify what are the key economic drivers, pressures and impacts, before undertaking any assessments. This was an important factor when carrying out the overall assessment of the environmental status in Albania and Montenegro, whose findings formed the basis of an initial set of proposed actions towards achieving the desired state of the Adriatic sea.
In Montenegro, assessment towards GES focused on ecological objectives: biodiversity, non-indigenous species, eutrophication, hydrography, coastal ecosystems and landscapes, contaminants and marine litter. The greatest difficulty encountered by the GEF project researchers was the lack of historical data sets, which would have helped them to understand the evolution of environmental quality over the years. Nevertheless, it appears that GES, under most of the ecological objectives, has been achieved, with the exception of the presence of contaminants and marine litter in certain limited areas. Read more about the results of the GES assessment in Montenegro.
In Albania, assessments have revealed the complexity of the interconnections between environments and types of impact on the ecosystem. Within the Albanian context, there had been a significant lack of data collected historically, which would have provided a tool for comparison. Nonetheless, the analytical activities undertaken provide the best possible framework for further assessments towards achieving GES.
A project that aims to study and learn about the coastal ecosystems of two nations is, of necessity, extremely complicated. There are many elements to be taken into account and managed, in order to organise the project harmoniously. GEF Adriatic is an essential part of a process that will lead to a new awareness of the variety of ecosystems that characterize the entire Mediterranean Sea. Marina Markovic, programme officer at PAP/RAC, and Anis Zarrouk, programme officer at SPA/RAC, outline the key elements of the project in this interview.
What defines 'Good Environmental Status'? Does it only relate to nature, or does it involve human activity as well?
Good Environmental Status – GES for short – refers to the preferred state of the marine environment, both in terms of the biological and physio-chemical conditions of the sea, and also of the level of pressures marine ecosystems are exposed to. This means human activities are included in the definition, since humans themselves are part of the ecosystem. GES represents a situation where human activities are at a sustainable level.
In order to define actions and policies to achieve GES, countries have to measure current environmental status through surveys, right? Can you tell us how you assess something as complex as this?
Environmental status is assessed through 11 marine components that include the distribution and condition of selected key marine habitats, marine reptiles, seabirds and mammals (these are all aspects of biodiversity); the functioning of food webs; the presence, abundance and impact of non-indigenous species; the levels and impacts of fisheries; hydrological alterations; and various types of pollution such as pollution from nutrients, hazardous substances and marine litter, as well as impacts from underwater noise – so there is a broad list of interlinked components to consider. It is important to stress that these assessments go beyond the marine environment itself and consider the entire coastal zone, to ensure a deeper understanding of land-sea interactions.
In order to assess whether GES has been achieved, recovered, maintained or not achieved, a comparison between a preferred state (GES) and a current state needs to be carried out. In other words, a reference is needed, against which the actual or potentially changed situation can be compared. Areas with limited human impact – such as Marine Protected Areas – are usually chosen for this purpose. The actual assessment can only be done through a series of surveys - monitorings. These are carried out on the specific predefined locations, in different seasons throughout the year, and also on an annual basis to build up a time series of data. Such monitorings are definitely not a one-off effort – they should be undertaken regularly, as part of a 6-year cycle.
How do you ensure these monitorings are actually being regularly implemented?
In order to ensure these are regularly undertaken, integrated monitoring programmes are developed, incorporating all the relevant details on where, how and when surveys should take place for each of the components of the marine and coastal environment. Integrated monitoring programmes need to be officially adopted, thus becoming a legal obligation. In Albania and Montenegro, together with national teams of experts such monitoring programmes are developed and are in the process of formal adoption.
How many players need to be involved in order to make the assessment reliable and accepted as a starting point for planning further actions?
In order to carry out a comprehensive assessment, all of the components above need to be assessed in a harmonised way, meaning that the various results are considered together, not in isolation. This requires a broad spectrum of specialists in marine biology, chemistry, oceanography and other environmental disciplines. It’s best if these types of assessments are carried out by national institutions. Nevertheless, for many aspects – such as marine mammals or marine litter – assessments should not be limited to the national level: there are no boundaries for these topics, and regional and subregional approaches are needed. Cooperation and joint assessments across borders and between different scientific institutions are essential to understand what regional GES looks like and how it can be jointly achieved. This is particularly relevant in our region given the enclosed nature of the Adriatic Sea.
How important is it to keep the scientific, political and socio-cultural aspects together, and how do you do that?
There is no point in performing an assessment unless it leads to follow-up actions to improve environmental conditions where needed, or maintain them where they are already ‘good’. But these follow-up actions are not solely down to scientists: they require the involvement of a wide range of decision-makers and public institutions, as well as civil society. Above all, they need policy and financial support at the highest political level.
Can the marine spatial planning process help to achieve GES?
Absolutely! Marine spatial planning is the process by which spatial and temporal uses of marine space are allocated. It guides blue economy sectors on where and when their operations can take place, but it can also restrict activities in sensitive or biologically important areas. Scientific assessments and surveys to determine environmental status, as well as proposed follow-up measures, can be partly implemented through marine spatial plans to ensure the achievement of GES.
Are there any challenges that you did not envisage at the beginning of this project?
The GEF Adriatic project aimed to deliver the whole ‘package’ needed to achieve GES: select species, choose locations where yearly monitoring needs to be performed across all ecosystem components, define methodologies, undertake preliminary marine surveys to test sample locations and also to determine national capacity needs for such integrated monitoring, assess the status of the marine environment, and propose measures for improving it. We also delivered a tailor-made national database where all the data collected during monitoring could be stored and visually presented to facilitate future assessments. Monitoring of this kind is a regional obligation under the Barcelona Convention and EU law, so our database facilitates compliance.
The process required a significant amount of data and data series, collected over long time periods – more than was initially available, which meant we faced some unexpected issues when we began. The integration processes between the different components, institutions etc turned out to be more challenging in practice than in theory, particularly since this was the first time such an integrated approach had been attempted in Albania, Montenegro and indeed the Mediterranean. And above all, we did not expect a global pandemic that almost prevented us from operating – but thanks to the commitment of the national and international team of experts we did it!
What, in your opinion, are the strengths and weaknesses of this approach?
This approach is really important, as it provides a comprehensive standardized assessment of all the relevant components of the marine and coastal environment, including how they interconnect and interact. It represents a step towards an integrated overview of what is good and what needs to be improved in the marine and coastal environment, the causes of the problems, and the most appropriate measures to address those causes. The fact that these processes are obligatory requirements for the Contracting Parties under the Barcelona Convention and EU Member States ensures their implementation.
However, the process is a costly one, requiring significant technical capacity and input from (preferably) national institutions: this is perhaps the biggest challenge. Nevertheless, different funding opportunities do exist, so with collaborative efforts it can be easily overcome.
How is the current situation in the Adriatic region in terms of GES?
We are not there yet. Lots of efforts are underway around the region, but the Adriatic is still under serious pressure: regional cooperation and collaboration are needed now more than ever to turn the tide towards Good Environmental Status for our shared marine resource.
Efforts to manage marine areas in the Adriatic, in particular using marine spatial planning (MSP), date back to more than 30 years ago, when a Sea Use Plan for the Northern and Southern Adriatic was prepared. However, MSP has never been established as a legal requirement. Recently, the situation has been changing. Firstly, with the adoption of the relevant policy framework within the Barcelona Convention and the EU. This includes the following: Protocol on Integrated Coastal Zone Management, Conceptual Framework for MSP and Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme within the Barcelona Convention; several EU directives largely concerned with marine management issues: the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Water Framework Directive (WFD), the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD). Secondly, with the increase in understanding and interest in marine management issues, often driven by the growing demand for nautical and cruise tourism, potential off-shore oil and gas exploration and extraction, amongst others.
Thanks to these recent changes, the need for coordinated MSP in the Adriatic has become increasingly clear. Whilst the issues and sectors involved in the growing blue economy are diverse, they all share the same marine space, where resources are limited and ecosystems are under strain. MSP is still relatively new in the Region, but it is already obvious that such planning will require cooperation between countries. This will assure a sustainable future, and redress the balance between socioeconomic development and environmental protection, by working to agree on common MSP principles and elements across the whole of the Adriatic. MSP will be able to operate effectively on a regional level by adopting agreed visions and strategies, legal and institutional frameworks, data collection and structuring, guidelines, methodologies, and best practice. Integration, collaboration and cooperation are critical.
More about the coordinated approach towards MSP in the Adriatic is available in the Pan-Adriatic Scope Full report and in its Summary.
The waterfornt of Sarandë, in southern Albania. Credit: Elion Jashari
Concept and planning options for MSP have been developed as part of the GEF Adriatic project in order to support the Montenegrin Government effort to secure sustainable management of productive seascape covering 250 000 ha. These options have been developed as a joint effort by a number of relevant institutions and interested national experts. As part of the process, a series of thematic reports has been produced, addressing the following: blue economy, navigation and marine safety, mariculture, land-sea interactions, state and pressures on the marine environment, coastal and nautical tourism, amongst others. The final proposal of the MSP concept is available here.
In Albania, the first preliminary MSP study, guidelines and training was implemented by a complementary MSP Pilot project, based on the GEF Adriatic Project approach and outputs.
In synergy with the GEF Adriatic Project, SPA/RAC implemented 3 Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) studies in Albania during the second semester of 2019, under the Cooperation Agreement between the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition and UNEP/MAP. These have led to achieving the following first steps in the MSP process: The Assessment of the Ecological Status and MSP preliminary initial assessment of the Vlora Marine Area (Albanian- English), Guidelines for the MSP process in Albania (Albanian- English) and Guidelines for Anchoring buoys for small pleasure boats in Albania (Albanian- English) used by the Albanian authorities for the installation of anchoring buoys.
If you would like to know more about Marine Spatial Planning, we invite you to join an online training course on MSP, developed as part of the GEF Adriatic Project. Visit www.medopen.org
The Conceptual Framework for Marine Spatial Planning’ in the Mediterranean was adopted by the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention in 2017, to coordinate efforts to achieve Good Environmental Status (GES), increase knowledge on land-sea interactions, and build sustainable and coherent land and sea use planning frameworks for key sectors and activities. Importantly, it gives a common context for all Contracting Parties for the implementation of MSP in the region.
Cape Rodoni is a spectacular strip of land entering the Adriatic Sea. Located about 30km north of Durres and 30km south of the border between Albania and Montenegro, it is the outermost peninsula of Albania at the north of Durres. All around, the landscape is typical of the Mediterranean maquis, with its unique colours and scents. The cape itself is a geological formation of Miocene sandstone-clay banks, strongly eroded and generally barren. The area is peculiar and of great interest for scientific research on marine ecosystems.
An accumulative sandy coastline characterizes this part of the coast of Albania. The seabed within the bay is entirely silty and sandy: all homogeneous and flat without particular pre-coralligenous or coralligenous habitats. The two rivers and the lagoons have a strong influence on the shape of the coast and the sea bottom. The estuaries often change their position and can feed alternatively the sea or the lagoon located between them. Furthermore, the rivers' movements create instability of the coast with subsequent erosion and accretion periods, making the coastal area less safe for boat navigation or mooring.
The marine survey conducted in Patok-Rodoni Bay, Albania, in Autumn 2020, within the framework of the GEF Adriatic Project and implemented in Albania and Montenegro by UNEP-MAP Coordinating Unit with PAP/RAC and SPA/RAC, was the first one of its kind in Albania. Following the Barcelona Convention's Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), it aimed at assessing several Ecological Objectives at once. The great biodiversity values in the area make Cape Rodoni one of the best coastal sites candidates for future Marine Protected Area (MPA).
The marine survey has been documented in this video where all key players explain the activities and the outcomes.
The GES assessment of the marine and coastal environment in Albania was conducted adopting the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) and related criteria. This is the first attempt to assess GES in Albania, which implies an integrated approach focused on the different Ecological Objectives.
The main findings of this assessment suggest that, at the time being, it is not possible to estimate GES for most of the Ecological Objectives and their indicators, due mainly to lack of or insufficient data (especially regarding long-term data series) and in baseline knowledge. However, the present attempt to assess GES has provided some important preliminary insights into the status of benthic and pelagic habitats in Albania's marine area. It also highlights significant signs of pressures regarding contaminants (EO9) and marine litter (EO10).
Our future and that of the planet depends on an extremely delicate balance between the need to protect the environment and the need to ensure the economic well-being of communities. Our society is interconnected by a wide range of factors, just as are ecosystems. To achieve a sustainable future, the particular must look to the global, and vice versa. Ecosystems do not exist in isolation, and every action we humans take has repercussions. Today, the choices we make must be well-considered, and take into account the complexity of the environment, often ignored in the past, in its entirety. Before making any decisions about the future, it is vital to understand the environment and its ecosystems, and continuously assess its status, in real time.
The Barcelona Convention and its Protocols have set a frame to guarantee that interaction between human and natural resources is happening in a harmonized and sustainable way. This frame is also based on integrative tools to ensure clear policy actions to protect natural resources while guaranteeing the economic future: ecosystem-based approach, Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and Integrated coastal zone management (ICZM).
An ecosystem-based approach goes beyond examining single issues, species, or ecosystems functioning in isolation. It takes into consideration all aspects of the environment, interlinks and interdependencies among them. In the Mediterranean area, the ecosystem approach within the Barcelona Convention system works through the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme of the Mediterranean Sea and Coast (IMAP), with its eleven ecological objectives and related indicators, aiming to achieve the Good Environmental Status (GES). An ecosystem-based approach is based on some general and, at the same time, explicit guiding principles. This integrated approach goes beyond national boundaries to focus on ecosystem boundaries, between sea and land, and their interconnections.
One of the aims of the GEF Adriatic project is to mainstream the adoption of such an ecosystem approach in the national MSP across the Adriatic sub-region. Upon getting to know the ecosystem, its state and the pressures it is exposed to, the MSP is what makes it possible to improve the state of a marine environment, where pressures exceed the sustainable limits, or maintain the status quo, where a balance between human and natural processes already exists. The project is helping planners to manage the development of a sustainable blue economy through a series of initiatives that can be summarised in the following key actions: monitoring and spatially presenting data on the marine and coastal environment, assessing and assigning values to the state and level of pressures to the environment, identifying the vulnerable areas where utilisation and exploitation of resources should be avoided but also areas that are favourable for use; proposing and implementing measures ensuring development of the blue economy while preserving fragile marine areas.
Throughout the project, the methodology for integrating an ecosystem approach into MSP was developed and tested in Montenegro, where researchers organised numerous data collection and mapping initiatives on the marine ecosystems. Data collected are based on IMAP Common Indicators, including both those predominantly related to the state of the marine environment (biodiversity and landscape features, such as habitat distributional range, population abundance of selected species and the like) and those related to existing pressures (e.g. eutrophication, contamination, physical disturbance of the coastline). It was therefore possible to map the distribution of habitats in the marine area of Montenegro and, for the first time, distribution of selected commercial fish species. Subsequently, investigations went deeper, leading to the mapping of pollution dispersion, including the concentration of litter distributed in the sea.
After collecting this information, it was possible to achieve an attribution of values to the current state and pressures on the marine areas. By using different criteria, the value index is applied to different components of the biodiversity, distribution of selected commercial fish species and landscape/seascape, but also applied is a pressure index in the case of contaminants, eutrophication and marine litter. It was thus possible to assess the cumulative effects on biodiversity, and identify those areas where the pressure on the environment is greatest and most severe. The evaluation is based on an integrative assessment of the current state of the marine environment and the current intensity of pressures, taking into consideration exposure and sensitivity of the marine environment to the pressures coming from existing human activities. Finally, results of this assessment point to the areas where proper management of coastal and maritime activities is needed.
As a result of this assessment, it’s become possible to see where improved management of coastal and maritime activities is really needed. The project identified a number of specific actions to conserve and improve existing ecosystems. Thanks to a step-by-step approach, it has been possible to obtain clear and organised information, much previously unknown, which will form the basis of future policy decisions.
Marina Marković, PAP/RAC Programme officer, sums up the real implications of such an extensive and unprecedented project as the one carried out in Montenegro, «The ecosystem approach is rightly the dominant paradigm, but real-world MSP has to deal with the real political and institutional competencies, complex participation issues, sectoral trade-offs and blue growth priorities. With the proposed approach, tested in Montenegro, we are providing a visual tool, based on scientific data that provides objectively verifiable bases for decision making processes based also on environmental priorities».
Assessments based on monitoring data need effective practical mechanisms for handling the data. Such mechanisms ensure that documents, data, and products are managed consistently and are made easily available to national users. For this reason, the GEF project developed a GIS application and info web system that enables the storing, assessing and reporting of data collected during national marine monitoring in Albania and Montenegro. The system in both countries is fully based on IMAP Info standards, enabling easy reporting to the IMAP INFO system.
The system is organised around ecological objectives and their agreed common indicators, and collects a significant amount of information to enable integrated assessments of the different monitored components. The programme offers georeferenced spatial information and trends for each assessed parameter in each monitoring location.
Although the system is structured around a significant number of data requirements, it is simple to use thanks to its predefined elements which facilitate quick and easy reporting. Importantly, all the data is checked by experts as it enters the system – only verified data is used. The Albanian and Montenegrin web GIS applications and info systems enable easy export of this verified data to the IMAP Info system, which allows both countries to fulfil their national monitoring commitments under the Barcelona Convention.
In Albania, the first data sets uploaded to the info system are from the Patok Rodoni Bay marine survey, which was implemented within the GEF Adriatic Project. Montenegro has included broader sets of data from its national monitoring programmes since 2016, including a GEF Adriatic project marine survey. Along with some data from 2009, there is a total of 14,702 records.
We have created a short web tutorial to help national monitoring institutions across the Mediterranean manage their IMAP data. Produced in collaboration with the INFO/RAC, it provides guidance on how to report yearly monitoring data to the IMAP info system, and highlights some common mistakes to avoid.
You can view the video tutorial below.
The GES assessment of the marine and coastal environment in Montenegro was conducted adopting the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP) and related criteria. This is the
first attempt to assess GES in Montenegro using this methodology, and to apply an integrated approach which focuses on the different Ecological Objectives.
The main finding derived from this analysis is that, for the time being, a GES assessment can only be done partially, due to gaps or the small quantity of data and baseline knowledge available (especially regarding long-term data series). Despite this, some preliminary and indicative conclusions can be drawn. Regarding the components which were possible to assess (under E01, E05, E09, and E010), it appears that GES has been achieved under most indicators, with some exceptions under E09 and E010.
To protect any ecosystem it is necessary to understand its complexities and how it may be affected by human activities. For Albania, with its many miles of coastline, collecting data and efficient planning is fundamental to the sustainable development of its own coast, as well as that of the whole of the Adriatic sub-region.
Albania has signed up to the Barcelona Convention, and is committed to achieving its 11 ecological objectives under IMAP (an Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme). To help achieve these, Albanian authorities within the GEF Adriatic project initiated the process that brings together multiple users of the sea to help make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably.
To inform this process, a marine survey has been carried out within the GEF Adriatic Project in the bay of Patok-Rodoni, a charming rocky area of about 90 square kilometres on the northern coast of Albania. This area was chosen because of its complex and contradictory character, its biodiversity and landscape, encompassing a protected area of about 50 square kilometres, its high impact human activities (fishing and tourism) and the inflow of two rivers, the Ismi and Mati.
The Marine Survey was undertaken in the field using a vessel equipped with analytical and scientific tools capable of collecting much needed first-hand information on the area’s biodiversity, pollution, and hydrography. Previous studies on marine habitats and data were limited, and so it was hoped that this marine survey would help fill in the gaps in the picture. In spite of several difficulties and delays, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and adverse weather conditions that made navigation difficult, the Marine Survey vessel finally set out on October 9th 2020 for a 20-day cruise.
The survey vessel returned on the 29th October with exciting results showing that millennia of distinctive environmental conditions had created a rich variety of species, populations and ecosystems, many with conservation value. What follows is an overview of the results from the survey.
Underwater survey, Patok Rodony Bay, Albania. Credit: Simone Modugno for SPA/RAC
The landscape of Patok-Rodoni bay, with its typically Mediterranean scrub vegetation, is dominated by Sea Fennel (Crithmum maritimum), an edible wild plant, and Saltmarsh Grass (Elymus pycnanthus). Salt marshes play a large role in the aquatic food web and the delivery of nutrients to coastal waters, whilst also providing coastal protection and support to terrestrial animals.
On the seabed, prevailing species are Green Algae (Ulvaceae) and Honeycomb Worms (Sabellaria alveolata), a reef-forming polychaete which builds tube reefs resembling a honeycomb made from sand and fossil sediments. However, the presence of two species of seagrasses were discontinuous: Little Neptune Grass (Cymodocea nodosa), an essential aquatic plant for the long-term health of marine environments and Mediterranean Tapeweed (Posidonia oceanica), an important biomarker of coastal marine water quality. The influx of freshwater and sediment coming in from the two rivers has resulted in variable salinity and low water transparency, which means that Mediterranean Tapeweed is present in patches and cannot form continuous and extensive meadows. According to this study, the state of conservation of Mediterranean Tapeweed at Cape Rodoni is not satisfactory, and further studies on its distribution are recommended.
Several pods of dolphins are present and were found to be stable. However, in the study area there is no evidence of sea turtles or sharks, although previous surveys have reported their presence.
There is a stable population of Cormorants, many of which feed around fishing sites and marine structures. The Cormorants also share the area with other species, including Shearwaters, a medium-sized seabird of the Procellariidae family, seen during the Survey.
Already noticed in other regions of Albania, there are two non-indigenous species present in the bay of Patok-Rodoni. One is a seaweed (Caulerpa cylindracea) native to Australia and first observed in the Mediterranean during the 1990s. This species of seaweed has spread extensively causing many ecological changes and, as such, is considered an invasive species. The other is the Blue Crab (Callinectes sapidus), an indigenous species on the Atlantic coasts of the American continent, which in recent years has also spread to Europe.
The Ismi and Mati rivers flow into Patok-Rodoni Bay, carrying with them organic and inorganic sediment. The presence of silt and mud is increasing and during the sampling period the water was murky. Analysis of water physicochemical parameters revealed a gradual increase in hypertrophy (detrimental excessive nutrient richness) in several areas. Bearing in mind that any aquatic environment modifies its ecological balance in response to changes over time, current analyses of depth (bathymetric data), transparency, temperature, tidal levels, and salinity do not reveal any particular anomalies at the moment.
Marine litter survey, Patok Rodony Bay, Albania. Credit: Simone Modugno for SPA/RAC
The survey revealed low levels of water pollution. Recorded values of PCBs (industrial products or contaminants) and heavy metals were very low or zero.
The seabed is essentially clean, and the concentration of micro-plastics in the water is about half that found in the Mediterranean. Most of the pollution present consists of waste from land-based activities along the coast. The marine investigation of the study sites showed a scarcity of specimens and species, probably due to intensive fishing activity. In fact, most of the marine fauna observed to be present belong to a shallow marine environment.
The marine survey highlights the beauty and value of the area. However results have also brought home the extent of its fragility. The bay of Patok-Rodoni is fascinating from an environmental and landscape point of view, but it appears to be heavily impacted by human activities. Clearly polluting substances or materials are not necessarily created directly on site. In the survey area, pollutants often come from inland or from coastal activities north of the surveyed area, transported by currents that appear to be predominantly from North to South. Most impact derives from the hypertrophic spill from the rivers (Drin, Mat and Ishmi) that flows along the coast, or occasionally into the two coastal lagoons (Tale and Patok) and becomes blocked in the south by the Rodoni Cape. Because of this, the area is currently being considered by national authorities for protection.
The overall picture of biodiversity and habitat in Albania is particularly complex, partly due to the nature of the area itself and the impacts upon it.
The results and full texts describing the marine survey activity are available for download.