Periodic review of the Pelagos Sanctuary as a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI)

Pelagos ©DR

The Technical Advisory Committee for the renewal of the Pelagos Sanctuary's status as a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) convened on Tuesday 14 January 2025, at the Pelagos Agreement headquarters in the Principality of Monaco.

The international experts, supported by the national SPA/BD Focal Points of the Barcelona Convention's Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas, assessed the progress made since the last review in 2019.

The results of the periodic review, prepared during the Committee meeting, will be presented at the 17th meeting of the SPA/BD Focal Points for Specially Protected Areas of the Barcelona Convention, to be held in May 2025. Decisions to renew SPAMI status for the Pelagos Sanctuary will be made at COP24 of the Barcelona Convention, to be held in Egypt in December 2025.

The Pelagos Sanctuary is the only international Marine Protected Area dedicated to protecting marine mammals in the Mediterranean. It has been included on the Barcelona Convention's list of SPAMIs since 2001, with its status renewed every 6 years.

The Pelagos Agreement

The Pelagos Agreement to create a Marine Mammal Sanctuary in the Mediterranean, signed by France, Italy and the Principality of Monaco, came into force in 2002. The Pelagos Sanctuary is the only international cross-border region dedicated to protecting marine mammals in the Mediterranean. It is an area of remarkable biodiversity, where eight cetacean species are regularly sighted and monk seals can also be found. The sanctuary was established to improve marine conservation by assessing and managing human impact on marine mammal species and habitats. Listed as a Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI) under the Barcelona Convention of the United Nations Environment Programme, the Pelagos Sanctuary has recently been declared a Particularly Sensitive Sea Area (PSSA) along with the Spanish Cetacean Corridor.

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