(Draft version)

A report prepared by: Commissioned by:

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

This publication has been developed by eco-union for Plan Bleu. Authors: Jeremie Fosse, Kristian Petrick, Salvador Klarwein, Romane Blondeau (all eco-union). Coordinator: Jean-Pierre Giraud and Antoine Lafitte (Plan Bleu) The publication reflects the authors’ views and doesn’t commit the commissioner. It adheres to the UN rules regarding the use of names as well as the international status of countries and/or other areas. This publication is available on line at www.planbleu.org

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Figure 1 : Total (onshore and offshore) oil and gas production (1990-2015) by country. Black line: total of all countries ............................................................................................................................................................... 11 Figure 2: Percentage of fish stock exploited over sustainable levels in Med areas, 2010 .................................... 12 Figure 3 : Marine Protected Areas in the Med in km2 (May 2016)....................................................................... 13 Figure 4 : Tourism direct contribution to GDP in Med (in USD) ............................................................................ 14 Figure 5 : Mediterranean container port traffic (tonnes) ..................................................................................... 15 Figure 6 : Patent claims on marine organisms in Med countries, 1991-2009 ....................................................... 16 Figure 7 : Migrant death in the Mediterranean Sea ............................................................................................. 17

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

In general, there is a lack of coherent and consistent aggregated data at regional or sub-regional level that makes difficult the detailed assessment of Blue Economy state.

Some indicators (particularly in the Energy sector) cover the performance of the “brown” economy as the sustainable alternatives are immature (offshore wind energy for example).

The assessment is not fully complete due to lack of data availability on key sectors such as aquaculture, offshore Renewable Energy, bioprospecting, coastal tourism and ports management.

Selected indicators are the currently most appropriate for measuring the state of the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region. However, as new data appears, the list of indicators should be reviewed and improved.

Considerable efforts are needed to inverse negative trends in sensitive sectors such as Fisheries and Energy. More data is needed to evaluate the sustainability performance of Transport and Tourism sectors. Bioprospecting is still too incipient to monitor it efficiently.

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The Project “A blue economy for a healthy Mediterranean – Measuring, monitoring and promoting an environmentally sustainable economy in the Mediterranean region” is a project aiming to identify indicators, select tools and recommend policies to promote an environmentally sustainable “Blue Economy” in the Mediterranean region. The project builds on synergies with ongoing efforts deployed by the UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan (UNEP/MAP) and the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) towards the implementation of a sustainable development in the region.

The main objectives are:

1. Define and monitor the Blue Economy in the context of the Mediterranean region; 2. Integrate Blue Economy tools and measures into other ongoing regional processes aiming at achieving a

sustainable development in the Mediterranean region.

The Blue Economy project is intended to give input to existing regional processes (e.g. MSSD, EcAp, ICZM), therefore it should be seen in the context of other initiatives and governance processes currently going on in the Mediterranean region. The project is being implemented by three Mediterranean Action Plan / Regional Activity Centres (Sustainable Consumption and Production Regional Activity Centre - SCP/RAC, Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre - PAP/RAC and Plan Bleu) with the participation of the majors stakeholders gathered in an Advisory board.

The Scoping study, carried out by Plan Bleu in early 2016, had the objective of drawing the global conceptual framework for a Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region. It introduces the historical background of Blue Economy within the evolution of the concept of sustainable development and adapts the definition adopted under UNEP “A Green Economy in a Blue World” in the context of the Mediterranean region:

Blue Economy is a non-pollutant, resource-efficient and circular economy based on sustainable consumption and production patterns, enhancing human well-being and social equities, generating economic value and employment, and significantly reducing environmental risks and ecological scarcities. The Blue Economy allows preserving Mediterranean healthy marine and coastal ecosystems and ensures the continuous delivery of goods and services for present and future generations. The progress towards a successful Blue Economy relies on the sustainable development of key socioeconomic activities, which, in the Mediterranean region, are represented by:

Fisheries

Aquaculture

Tourism and recreational activities

Maritime transport and port activities

Bio-prospecting or exploitation of biological resources

Exploitation of renewable energy sources

The scoping study also identifies the objectives of the full study of the Blue Economy project:

To prepare a critical review of the existing indicators and tools utilised in the Blue Economy policies and strategies, mainly at the Mediterranean regional scale, allowing proposing a core set of the most relevant indicators for the implementation of a “Blue Economy” strategy for the Mediterranean region;

To develop a trend analysis of the selected set of “Blue Economy” indicators aiming to provide a global picture of the “Blue Economy” in the Mediterranean region;

According to the analytical findings, recommend a set of policies at national and regional levels to foster a successful strategy targeting the implementation of a Blue sustainable economy across the Mediterranean riparian countries.

In order to achieve the objectives of the full study it recommends various sources for data collection (EU authorities, National Statistical Authorities, FAO, FishStat, World Bank, UNEP/MAP, etc.)

Finally, the Scoping study sets recommendations towards a successful Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region:

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

According to the assessment results, national and regional policies allowing promoting Blue Economy practices in the Mediterranean are to be highlighted.

The selection of national and regional policies must take into account policy needs and/or efforts undertaken in the context of other governance processes in the region, in order to establish synergies.

A particular focus on the ICZM Protocol, the MSSD 2016-2025, the SCP Action Plan, the EcAp Initiative, and any other governance mechanism implemented at the regional scale is relevant for the purposes of the consolidation of the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean (e.g. Marine Litter Regional Action Plan).

A critical review of the existing indicators and tools utilised in the "Blue Economy" policies and strategies and a proposal of a core set of the most relevant indicators (about 30 indicators) for the support of a "Blue Economy" strategy for the Mediterranean region has been undertaken with the following tasks:

1. Gather the existing data for the proposed indicators in order to check data availability and to prepare the trend analysis.

2. Organize a regional workshop (held in Barcelona the 17th of October 2016) with experts from advisory board for discussing and validating the core set of indicators.

3. Analyse the trends of this core set of "blue economy" indicators aiming to provide a global picture of the “Blue economy” in the Mediterranean region.

The deliveries are:

This Report in Word (15-20 pages approx.).

5 PowerPoint files (one per sector) with draft fact sheets for each indicator

Excel sheet with short list of indicators (incl. RACER outcomes)

2nd worksheet with long-list of indicators

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The selection process had the objective of identifying available indicators that best reflect the status and trends of a Blue Economy in the Mediterranean. As per instructions, a list of a maximum of six indicators per sector was adopted; each list covering the three pillars of sustainability: Economy, Society and Environment. However, the lack of basic data limited the final list of indicators.

The steps adopted in the selection process were as follows:

1. Listing of existing indicators relevant to the five Blue Economy sectors from multiple initiatives, instruments and other sources, such as:

Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development (MSSD)

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The EU “DEDUCE” project

Various Coastal Area Management Programme’s (CAMPs)

The “SAIL” project on sustainable indicators for the coast of the Southern North Sea

Biodiversity Indicators Partnership (BIP)

(for full sources see reference section)

2. Addition of other indicators to reach a comprehensive list from where the final six indicators per sector were selected.

3. Identification of key indicators reflecting the economic and social sphere for all five sectors:

Number of Jobs

Economic Value of sector / GDP contribution (Growth Value Added)

4. Assessment of each indicator using the RACER methodology for identifying the most suitable indicators. The RACER assessment marked each indicator with a score between 0 (lowest) and 5 (highest) under the following criteria:

Relevant: relevant for sustainable development, i.e. related with the MSSD, SDGs and SCP.

Accepted: widely accepted indicators by major stakeholders, academia and policy-making.

Credible: transparent, easy to interpret and understand by targeted audience.

Easy: available data in open databases (World Bank, etc.).

Robust: reliable data, updated regularly and consistently.

5. Selection of top 6-8 indicators with the highest overall score per sector. In the course of the data research some indicators were discarded where it turned out that consistent data was unavailable.

The resulting 22 indicators are deemed well suited for measuring the status and trends of a Blue Economy in the Med. An extra indicator covering the alarming humanitarian crisis of migrant death were also added. Most of the indicators are reasonably well available but for some of them it will be necessary that member states support data provision and statistics.

The limit of 6 indicators per sector resulted in many relevant indicators being left out. However, the discarded indicators can be revisited. As more data become available in the future, additional indicators will be essential, especially for data regarding bioprospecting, renewable energy, artisanal fisheries, sustainable aquaculture, sustainable tourism and sustainability in transport and ports.

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

The following table comments on the indicators selected.

Indicator Reasoning for Choice Comments (difficulties, gaps, ...) Main Source

A. ENERGY

1. Offshore wind capacity installed

Shows only offshore RE technology with reasonable potential

Essential for MSSD objective 5 (green and blue economy) and 4 (climate change), specifically action 4.4.

Currently there are no commercial offshore wind turbines in the Med and most likely there won’t be many in the near future (floating platforms required are currently too expensive and technically immature).

4C Offshore database

GWEC 2016

WWF 2015 “Blue Growth in the Med Sea”

2. Offshore oil and gas production

Shows importance of offshore fossil energy.

Measures dependence on brown economy, relative to MSSD objective 5

Data availability for offshore oil and gas sector is scarce. Only Italy provides offshore production data.

Plan Bleu 2015 “Economic and social analysis of the uses of the coastal and marine waters in the Mediterranean” I

EA 2016 statistics

BP 2016 statistics

3. Offshore oil and gas Gross Value Added (GVA)

Shows the economic importance of the sector

A downward trend is required for achieving MSSD objective 5 and objective 4

Indicator based on estimated offshore production data, therefore significant uncertainty.

Plan Bleu 2015 “Economic and social analysis of the uses of the coastal and marine waters in the Mediterranean”

4. Employment in offshore oil and gas production

Shows social and economic importance of the sector

Lack of direct data. Data is highly dependent on assumptions and based on estimated offshore production data, therefore significant uncertainty. No data for employment of offshore RE production (negligible anyway).

Plan Bleu 2015 “Economic and social analysis of the uses of the coastal and marine waters in the Mediterranean”

5. Number of exploration drills for oil and gas

Shows activity in the sector and potentially new investments

A downward trend is required for achieving MSSD objective 5 and objective 1 (marine and coastal areas)

Data for offshore oil and gas sector is scarce but certain data research companies may provide data that can be purchased

Plan Bleu 2015 “Economic and social analysis of the uses of the coastal and marine waters in the Mediterranean”

6. Total amount of oil spilled (from drilling)

Measures in-situ environmental impacts

A downward trend is required for achieving MSSD objective 1

Scarce data, but data can be purchased. REMPEC

B. FISHERIES

1. Amount of fish caught

Most available indicator regarding fisheries

Estimates economic importance and pressure on fish stocks

Relevant for MSSD strategic direction 1.2. (sustainable management of marine resources)

Good data availability. However, most data reflects landed catch. Discarded catch is usually unreported.

FAO Fishstat

2. Percentage of Fish Stock exploited over-sustainable levels

Shows the critical state of the Med fish stocks and necessary for measuring MSSD action 1.2.5 (Safeguard the Mediterranean fisheries)

Ecosystem indicator with good data availability SeaAroundUs.org

3. Total value of fisheries production (landed value and aquaculture production)

Lack of data on GVA of fish catch

FAO data reconstructed by Sea Around Us (for details on method visit: http://www.seaaroundus.org/catch-reconstruction-and-allocation-methods/).

SeaAroundUs.org

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Indicator Reasoning for Choice Comments (difficulties, gaps, ...) Main Source

4. Amount of fish caught by artisanal fisheries

Measures economy and livelihoods of artisanal fisheries (relevant to MSSD action 1.2.1)

Shows pressure on fish stocks by artisanal fisheries

FAO data reconstructed by Sea Around Us (for details on method visit: http://www.seaaroundus.org/catch-reconstruction-and-allocation-methods/). The trend and status has yet to be analysed.

SeaAroundUs.org

5. Total number of fishers employed

Shows social and economic importance of the sector

Data on employment is rarely available. Furthermore, the seasonality of fisheries’ activities and the large artisanal fleet in the Mediterranean mean that employment data can only be estimated.

FAO, Fisheries

OECD, Stats

6. Number of Small Scale Fisheries vessels

Useful for estimating data regarding labour

Data is not recorded periodically. Data does not distinguish vessels from different water bodies.

FAO: www.fao.org/3/a-i5496e.pdf

European Commision: Scientific, Technical and Economic Committee for Fisheries (STECF), 2015

7. Number of aquaculture farms with organic label

Shows the scale of sustainable aquaculture

Currently there is not enough statistical data to develop the indicator (i.e. No data on number of EU farms that comply with regulation on organic aquaculture)

C. Tourism

1. Economic value of Tourism (GVA)

Shows the economic importance

Does not distinguish Med coast from the rest of the country

WTTC, 2016.

2. Tourism Employment

Shows social and economic importance

Does not distinguish Med coast from the rest of the country

WTTC, 2016.

3. International Tourism Arrivals (per capita)

Shows the importance of international tourism

Relevant to issues of overexploitation of local resources addressed by MSSD objective 2

Does not distinguish Med coast from the rest of the country. For a more targeted measure, arrivals at airports close to the coast would have to be captured.

UNWTO, World Tourism Organization (2016), Compendium of Tourism Statistics dataset

4. Coastal and marine areas conserved (% total)

Indicator for MSSD action 1.1.1.

Shows areas for sustainable management of ecosystem: potential tourist attraction

No data on Portugal. Palestine and Jordan. MEDPAN

D. Maritime Transport

1. Economic value (GVA) of maritime transport

Shows the economic importance

Does not distinguish Med from Atlantic and Black Sea coast.

EC, Eurostat

2. Employment in maritime transport

Shows social and economic importance

Data not available for non-EU countries. Incomplete data. France and Spain include Atlantic coast.

EC, Eurostat

3. Volume of passenger traffic

Shows the importance of the sector for passenger traffic

Lack of data for non-EU countries. EC, Eurostat

4. Volume of port freight traffic

Shows the importance of the sector for commercial trade

Good data availability. World Bank, Data

5. Carbon emissions of maritime transport

Shows contribution to climate change.

Linked to MSSD objective 4 (prioritising climate change for the Med)

Data calculated from bunkering data. Data do not distinguish Med ports from Atlantic and Black Sea ports. Results in broad estimation as fuel sold in the Med does not imply it is consumed in the Med and vice versa.

International Energy Agency, Statistics

E. Bioprospecting

1. Number of patents Shows the general

development of the sector in Mediterranean countries

Does not show the location of extraction, therefore data for the Med is over-estimated.

IMEDEA UIB CSIC

Genbank, NCBI-NIH

F. Extra indicators

1. Migrant deaths in the Mediterranean Sea

Shows state of safety in crossing the Mediterranean Sea

Data is largely underestimated. Borderdeath.org

International Organization for Migration (IOM), Missing Migrants Project

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

In this chapters the overall trends (based on the indicators) within each sector are described. The details of each indicator are given in the annex with fact-sheet slides; therefore this information is not repeated in detail here.

The energy sector of a sustainable Blue Economy would only include renewable offshore energy. Today the only commercially available technology that can potentially be deployed in the Mediterranean Sea in an economically viable way is offshore wind (there are almost no tides and steady waves; Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion may be feasible but is still in an early development stage). However, due to deep waters, mainly floating wind turbines would be feasible; experience with this technology is growing but it is not widely available yet. It was also discussed to include onshore wind and PV installations but it is difficult to determine which ones would fall under a Blue Economy (coastal) and which ones under a Green Economy (inland).

As it became quickly apparent that the offshore renewable energy sector in the Mediterranean is still almost not existent, it was decided to include information about offshore oil and gas activities to track the development of the brown economy.

The main findings regarding the key indicators are as follows:

There are no commercial offshore wind projects in the Med yet; deployment expected once cost decrease further.

Data on offshore gas and oil are extremely difficult to get because most countries only provide aggregated data (onshore plus offshore). The only exception is Italy.

Real numbers from Egypt’s offshore oil and gas production are crucial to make a meaningful statement on the activities in the Med Sea.

The strong growth of offshore oil and gas activities that was predicted a few years ago (see report Plan Bleu 2015) has not been taking place, see Figure 1 below. This is due to the situation in Libya and the low oil and gas prices, which make offshore drilling less viable. However, the situation may change again, so the sector has to be closely observed.

The production value is highly dependent on oil and gas prices. Oil and gas prices are roughly half of what they used to be in 2011: Plan Bleu 2015 used for oil 113 $/barrel, and gas 10 $/MMbtu, compared to less than 50$/barrel and some 4-7$/MMbtu (market dependent). This means that the offshore GVA is 40% lower than in 2011 mainly due to lower oil and gas prices.

The real number of jobs in offshore energy is not known. All values are highly dependent on assumptions. So far ratios from the UK have been used to calculate direct and indirect jobs per energy unit produced.

If there are new deep-sea explorations they can be mainly expected in the Eastern Mediterranean.

44% of the Med area are either contracted or designated for oil & gas exploration – this poses a risk that those zones may be explored at one point which could lead to increased pollution.

The further development of oil spills highly depends on the oil and gas prices. For the moment, the Eastern Med Sea is likely to see most exploration drills. Spills in the last 5 years still need to be investigated.

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Figure 1 : Total (onshore and offshore) oil and gas production (1990-2015) by country. Black line: total of all countries

Conclusions and recommendations:

Offshore oil and gas operations in a sea with considerable seismic activity come with a risk of accidents and oil spills posing a real threat to the fragile Mediterranean ecosystem. Therefore the offshore oil and gas activities should be closely monitored. As there are basically no data available at the moment, Med countries should start reporting specifically offshore activities.

As onshore wind and solar PV are economically viable renewable technologies that can be widely used in Med countries, offshore wind projects may not be the first choice for RE deployment – especially for poorer countries. Nevertheless it is recommended to closely monitor the developments of the sector.

The main findings regarding the key indicators are as follows:

Despite of the steady decrease of Med captures (over 30 per cent since 1994) the value of the sector has steadily increased (over 160 per cent since 1990), in part because of the fast development of aquaculture.

The decrease in fish catch could be considered as a positive trend (at least from the fish stock point of view) if it was happening because of a reduction of fishing activity. But the decrease is mainly due to exhausted fish stocks, not because the pressure of fishing decreased. For effective recuperation of fish stocks there must be a management plan which aims in drastically reducing fish catch, especially by reducing discards and protects the economy of artisanal fisheries.

Primary data on Turkey includes Black Sea. The assumption adopted is that Turkey’s Mediterranean Fisheries accounts for one third of Turkey’s total.

The only complete and well-established primary data available is FAO’s amount of fish caught. This data has been used to determine other important data such as the value of Med fisheries.

For a holistic assessment of Mediterranean fisheries in relation to the Blue Economy there must be more efforts in accounting for statistics on discarded fish and artisanal fisheries. So far, only Sea Around Us, a research initiative at the University of British Columbia, has estimated relevant statistical data on discarded fish and non-industrial fisheries.

Small Scale Fisheries (SSF) is the sub-sector with the highest employment. However, it is extremely difficult to obtain statistical data regarding SSF. Also, the data available does not distinguish the Mediterranean from the Atlantic and Black Sea fleet.

Statistical data on employment is only available for a few countries. However, FAO is intending to make statistical data available for most countries within 2017.

Data on fish stock status is extremely important for correct assessment of the environmental impact of the industry. The available data on fish stocks exploited above sustainable levels shows that the Mediterranean Sea is in a state of ecological crisis due to a long pattern of over-fishing, poor management policies and lack of monitoring and accountability.

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

Data on aquaculture methods and environmental impacts are extremely scarce. Statistical data on organic production is needed for a correct assessment of the aquaculture industry.

Figure 2: Percentage of fish stock exploited over sustainable levels in Med areas, 2010

Source: seaaroundus.org

Conclusions and recommendations:

The data confirm that the Mediterranean is in a state of ecological crisis due to overfishing for decades. Therefore, the whole economy and social protection offered by the fishing industry is under great threat. Recuperating the Mediterranean ecosystem must be a priority of the entire region in order to ensure the livelihood of artisanal fishers and future generations. An appropriate management requires reduction of by-catch, the adoption of fishing quota that represents the long-term needs of the ecosystem, and to respect the reproduction cycle of fish stocks.

In order to achieve an effective Blue Economy for the Mediterranean region, sustainable use of biodiversity and food security must be ensured. This translates in the need of adopting an ecosystem- based approach management that both protects artisanal fisheries and recovers fish stocks. An optimal management plan of Mediterranean fisheries must be based on scientific advice, favour low energy utilization and remove subsidies for unsustainable fishing.

The rise of the aquaculture industry – which can be compared with factory farming including all its related issues – presents an additional threat to the Mediterranean ecosystem (e.g. pharmaceutical and pollution releases, impacts on local biodiversity, pressure on wild fish populations) (PB BE scoping study). Therefore, a Blue Economy should critically review the aquaculture industry and ensure that farms only get approved if they adhere to strict environmental standards.

The Mediterranean Sea is the leading tourist destination in the world, and as such, it has significant impact on the marine environment. It should be noted that all data regarding tourism corresponds to a national scale and does not distinguish tourism in Mediterranean coastal areas from elsewhere in the countries. Therefore, all data are an overestimation of the Blue Economy. The data also do not indicate if the tourism activity is sustainable.

The main findings regarding the key indicators are as follows:

In the past 20 years the GDP contribution of the tourism sector has steadily increased by 60 per cent in Mediterranean countries.

While most Mediterranean countries have experienced a large economic growth in the sector, the vast majority of the economic growth corresponds to Western Mediterranean countries, such as Spain, France and Italy.

However, most of the countries where the tourism sector contributes the highest percentage to the national GDP correspond to Eastern and Southern Mediterranean countries, such as Malta, Montenegro, Greece and Morocco.

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The large growth in employment of the sector between 1995 and 2007 stopped with the 2007-2008 financial crisis. Since 2007 employment in the sector has decreased by 12 per cent and the recuperation is slow, despite of the clear economic recuperation shown by the GDP contribution.

International tourist arrivals (ITAs) to Mediterranean countries have steadily increased in the past 20 years, reaching 313 million international arrivals in 2014.

The sector experienced a rapid recuperation from the small fall in international tourist arrivals following the 2007-2008 financial crisis.

Spain, France, Italy and Turkey dominated the international tourism arrivals until 2014. However, it is yet unclear how the political turmoil in Turkey and the growing alarm of terrorist attacks in France in 2015-2016 will affect the trend of international tourism arrivals in the following years.

A marginal percentage of the Mediterranean is classified as protected (around 8%). The Western Mediterranean basin fosters most of the Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Figure 3 : Marine Protected Areas in the Med in km2 (May 2016)

Conclusions and recommendations:

The tourism sector has long been a key player in Mediterranean countries, with great economic and social impacts. However, the current model of tourism is highly unsustainable. Future growth will further deteriorate the already critical environmental pressures it poses in coastal and marine ecosystems, and exasperate the depletion of local resources. Therefore, a shift is needed for a sustainable Mediterranean tourism; which reduces its consumption levels, strives on the protection and recuperation of coastal and marine environments, as well as respecting local culture and social structures (Guidelines for a Mediterranean Strategy on Sustainable Tourism, Plan Bleu).

In order to assess such a shift in tourism more data regarding the environmental sustainability of the sector needs to be developed (energy and water consumption, land used, waste production, etc.)

The data on GDP contribution and employment clearly confirms the central role that the sector plays in the regional economy (around 10% of total GDP in average).

The growing trend of the sector in the region calls for prioritising in reducing the environmental impact of coastal tourism, as acknowledged in the EU Blue Growth strategy. The current status shows that eastern and southern Mediterranean countries have the most growth potential. For an optimal assessment of the sector, better data availability relevant to the environmental sustainability of the sector is needed, such as data on quality of beaches and tourist beds holding eco-label.

If the Mediterranean is to harvest a successful Blue Economy, countries should concentrate efforts in respecting the Convention of Biological Diversity and the Barcelona Convention by at least declaring 10 per cent of the Mediterranean Sea as a Marine Protected Area, especially in sea beyond 12 nautical miles. Efforts must concentrate in prioritising the protection of ecologically significant areas.

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

Figure 4 : Tourism direct contribution to GDP in Med (in USD)

The maritime transport sector presents a great challenge for a Blue Economy in the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean Sea is one of the busiest seas in the world, harvesting 20 per cent of seaborne trade, 10 per cent of world container throughput and over 200 million passengers. Furthermore, as maritime traffic is steadily increasing it adds environmental pressure, such as: rising CO2 emissions, pollution, marine litter, collisions with large cetaceans, underwater noise and the introduction of non-indigenous species1.

The general findings regarding the developed indicators are as follows:

Transport-related data for non-EU countries are extremely scarce, and available data relate mainly to economic and labour aspects of the sector. Data regarding sustainable port practices and transport efficiency are needed.

The maritime transport sector has rapidly recovered from the 2008 economic crisis and presents a clear trend of economic growth (with an estimated GVA increase of 24 per cent since 2009).

Data on number of jobs is limited and incomplete for European countries and Turkey. Despite the data shortcomings, we can assume that employment is generally increasing in Northern Mediterranean countries.

Only EU countries present complete data regarding passenger traffic. The available data shows that there is a trend of growth.

Container port traffic is the best data available (Eurostat, World Bank). This data confirms the trend of rapid growth of the sector, which undoubtedly increases the environmental pressure and strengthens the need for a transition to a sustainable maritime transport.

One of the main problems related to the growth of the sector is the rapid increase of its carbon footprint. There is no primary data on carbon emissions of the sector, therefore all data comes from estimations i.e. from bunkering data in Mediterranean ports. While data shows that there was a decrease in emissions following the 2008 economic crisis, emissions have rebounded in 2014.

1 Piante C., Ody D., 2015, p.48

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Figure 5 : Mediterranean container port traffic (tonnes)

Conclusions and recommendations:

Regarding vessels, as there are not yet low carbon transport alternatives, the sector must prioritise emission reduction, engine efficiency and reduce underwater noise pollution, as well as dealing with the issues of ship recycling and ballast water.

Regarding maritime spatial planning, the protection of marine mammals and turtle distribution should be ensured by avoiding sensitive areas.

Sustainable port practices focusing on pollution, GHG emissions, water efficiency and sewage treatment should be fostered.

Despite the underdeveloped state of bioprospecting in the Mediterranean, it is believed that it has high potential for crucial aspects of Blue Economy, such as food security, energy provision, human health and environmental remediation. At the moment, it seems that the midterm development of the sector will have a negligible impact in the Mediterranean economy. While statistical data on global development of bioprospecting is extremely hard to find, data solely on the Mediterranean is close to non-existent.

UNEP has estimated that marine bioprospecting has a potential global market of 2.5 billion Euros by 2017, while the EU has estimated that the sector may be producing a GVA of 1 billion Euros in European waters. However, there are no statistical databases backing such estimations as current statistical databases aggregate bioprospecting within more general economic clusters.

The most relevant data found relates to the number of patent claims under Mediterranean countries associated with marine organisms. This data is an over-estimation as it segregates by country and not by location of extraction, therefore patents registered under Spain, France and Turkey may correspond to bioprospecting activities in the Atlantic Ocean and Black Sea.

Nevertheless, this data shows the following:

The wealthiest countries of the Mediterranean are clearly in the forefront of the bioprospecting sector

Israel and Turkey are the only non-European countries of the Mediterranean where it seems that there is a interest in the development of the sector

The small amount of registered patents within the Mediterranean region suggests that the industry is creating very little jobs but it can be assumed that those jobs are highly qualified

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

Figure 6 : Patent claims on marine organisms in Med countries, 1991-2009

Conclusions and recommendations:

The present and mid-term environmental impacts of bioprospecting are estimated to be low as the amount of marine resources extracted is usually small. However, the long-term potential impacts of bioprospecting remain unclear. If bioprospecting develops into a large sector there can be risks of biological contamination and over-exploitation of organisms.

Furthermore, there is the important issue of property right; live organisms should be registered as public patents in order to benefit society rather than corporate interests.

Bioprospecting can become an important sector within a Mediterranean Blue Economy as long as there is public and private investment in research and innovation and a shared framework for a sustainable management of Mediterranean marine organisms.

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“Blue Economy” is not per se a “Green Economy in the maritime context”: The term “Blue Economy” suggests a positive connotation. However, the way Blue Economy is currently defined by various stakeholder groups (EC, UNEP, etc.), this is misleading. For instance, while the Plan Bleu scoping study for the energy sector only mentions renewable energy, the EC includes fossil energy extraction within the concept of Blue Economy although it is clearly not a sustainable activity. Also aquaculture businesses can have more negative than positive impacts. It may be therefore considered to reduce the scope of economic activities within the Blue Economy to the really sustainable ones – which is not easy as data, definitions and information are missing (e.g. sustainable vs. unsustainable tourism; sustainable vs. unsustainable transport).

National Data are crucial: Without the provision of detailed national data for all indicators – extracted according to common standard – it will not be possible to capture the real status of the Blue Economy in the Med region.

Data are not specifically available for the Med coastal areas: Spain, France, Turkey and others countries have large areas (also coastal areas) outside of the Med basin. This distorts the picture. For instance, indicators like tourism for a country like Egypt do not reflect necessarily what the situation is on the Med coast because many tourists are going to sites that are located in the Hinterland or to the Red Sea.

Indicators should implicitly provide policy messages: Participants of the Barcelona expert workshop stated that the indicators should also intend to give policy recommendations. While this can be useful, it is important to first track the real base data. As long it is not really clear e.g. how much oil and gas is really extracted in the Mediterranean, or how many people really work there (not just using employment factor assumptions), or how much fish is really caught, policy recommendations may not be as sound and reliable as they should be.

Considering indicators on migration as a cross-sectorial issue: A Blue Economy must improve human wellbeing, and as conflicts in the region continue and climate change worsens, refugees and economic migrants will continue risking their lives crossing the Mediterranean Sea. In the light of the present prioritisation of border protection control rather than search and rescue efforts, migrant deaths have skyrocketed in the past years. The figure of 3675 deaths in 2015 is generally considered an underestimation. Complying with international law and investing in rescue efforts should be enough to considerably reduce the number of deaths; a necessary change of trend to achieve a Blue Economy in the Mediterranean region.

Figure 7 : Migrant death in the Mediterranean Sea

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Indicators for the Blue Economy in the Mediterranean

General:

Plan Bleu (2016.) Blue economy for a healthy Mediterranean-Measuring, Monitoring and Promoting an environmentally sustainable economy in the Mediterranean region, Scoping Study. Blue Economy Project. Available at: https://planbleu.org/sites/default/files/upload/files/Scoping_Study_Blue_Economy.pdf

Plan Bleu (2014). Economic and social analysis of the uses of the coastal and marine waters in the Mediterranean, characterization and impacts of the Fisheries, Aquaculture, Tourism and recreational activities, Maritime transport and Offshore extraction of oil and gas sectors. (Technical Report). Valbonne, Plan Bleu. Available at: http://planbleu.org/sites/default/files/publications/esa_ven_en.pdf

Piante C., Ody D. (2015). Blue Growth in the Mediterranean Sea: the Challenge of Good Environmental Status. MedTrends Project. WWF-France. Available at: http://www.medtrends.org/reports/MEDTRENDS_REGIONAL.pdf

Sources for long list of Indicators:

MSSD 2016-2025: https://planbleu.org/sites/default/files/publications/mssd_2016-2025_final.pdf

Sustainable Development Goals: http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/files/meetings/iaeg-sdgs-meeting-02/Outcomes/Agenda%20Item%204%20-%20Review%20of%20proposed%20indicators%20-%202%20Nov%202015.pdf

Millennium Development Goals: http://mdgs.un.org/unsd/mdg/Resources/Attach/Indicators/HandbookEnglish.pdf

Plan Bleu, indicator inventory, 2011 (internal Excel document):

- DEDUCE - CAMPs - SAIL - BIP

OECD Fisheries Sustainability Indicators: http://www.oecd.org/tad/fisheries/2507611.pdf

OECD Key biotechnology indicators: www.oecd.org/sti/inno/keybiotechnologyindicators.htm

Pegaso project: http://www.vliz.be/projects/pegaso/project-overview.html

EC, CONSESUS, sustainable aquaculture europe: http://poli.haifa.ac.il/~eranv/material_vigoda/GIF/Research%20Reports/CONSENSUS-FP6%20project.pdf

EC, Regional Biotechnology: ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/pdf/regional-biotech-report.pdf

EC, MSFD: http://ec.europa.eu/environment/marine/pdf/MSFD_reportTSG_Noise.pdf

Ecorys and Consortium Partners, Blue Biotechnology Report: https://webgate.ec.europa.eu/maritimeforum/sites/maritimeforum/files/Blue%20Biotech%20-%20Final%20Report%20final.pdf

ESPO Port Performance Indicators: www.espo.be/media/pages/12-01-25_-_PPRISM_WP4_Deliverable_4.2_Website.pdf

European Union’s Transport and Environment Reporting Mechanism (TERM): www.vtpi.org/wellmeas.pdf

ESPO, Port Performance Indicators: http://www.espo.be/media/pages/12-01-25_-_PPRISM_WP4_Deliverable_4.2_Website.pdf

European Commission, Regional Biotechnology Report: http://ec.europa.eu/research/bioeconomy/pdf/regional-biotech-report.pdf

GGKP, Moving towards a Common Approach on Green Growth Indicators: www.oecd.org/greengrowth/GGKP%20Moving%20towards%20a%20Common%20Approach%20on%20Green%20Growth%20Indicators%5B1%5D.pdf

HELCOM: http://helcom.fi/action-areas/monitoring-and-assessment/monitoring-manual/fish-fisheries-and-shellfish/fisheries-bycatch