A group of conservationists and donors from different countries (Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund) together with representatives from the World Bank, representatives of the Japanese government, and representatives of "World Conservation" from the USA revealed a map of the Mediterranean basin in which six areas are designated for conservation and protection.
The group that gathered in Paris published a long and detailed document whose authors hope that it will be a guide for the preservation of the areas, in the document referring to: prevention of human "intrusion", unsustainable tourism, water pumping, pollution and other hazards. The map includes about 300 square kilometers in and around the sea, humid coastal areas, desert areas in Egypt and Libya, including about 100 species of endemic plants as well as the Egyptian tortoise Testudo kleinmanni, which is in danger of extinction, sections of the Atlas Mountains and their ridges in Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, the mountains of Lebanon, mountains and beaches in the Balkans, the Taurus Mountains in Turkey, all of these "hold" almost the entire variety of habitats in the Mediterranean basin.
34 countries, languages, cultures and many different religions do not make conservation work easy, but in light of the difficult situation in which many species find themselves, in light of the many hazards in and around the sea, it is necessary to overcome the difficulties to ignore political borders and protect the unique diversity.
To this end, as a start for the promotion of the protection of biological diversity, 10 million dollars were allocated for five years. This is within the framework of the "United Nations Millennium Plan".
Under section 7b of the plan there is a statement/intention to "significantly reduce the harm to biological species by the end of 2010", despite this all the indicators show an increase in the harm to many species, harm mainly due to the loss of habitats, hunters and climate hazards, in the Mediterranean basin live about 500 million people About 250 million tourists are added to them each year, a situation / human population density that does not facilitate the preservation of the natural environment.
As a first step towards implementation, the conservation plan will be presented at the convention that will deal with the UN's Biodiversity Convention. It is hoped that the conventions and plans will bring about a halt to the ongoing damage to the environment.
