• Scientists from the Tour du Valat, a research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands, point to a collapse in biodiversity in the Mediterranean in 30 years, in a report published on Monday.

  • Vertebrate populations in the Mediterranean basin fell by 20% between 1993 and 2016

The Mediterranean has known in 30 years a "collapse" of its biodiversity, one of the most important in the world, today seriously threatened, alert the scientists of the Tour du Valat, research institute for the conservation of Mediterranean wetlands, in a report published on Monday.

The “Living Mediterranean” report is based on in-depth research on studies published over the past 30 years, bringing together abundance monitoring of more than 80,000 animal populations in this region of the globe where “climate change is faster and impact of human activities stronger than elsewhere ”.

Globally, sea level rose by about 15 cm in the 20th century and the rise is accelerating, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).

The greatest number of endemic species

Observation of the group of researchers: vertebrate populations in the Mediterranean basin fell by 20% between 1993 and 2016, and even by 52% in marine ecosystems (pelagic and coastal) and by 28% in freshwater ecosystems (areas wetlands and rivers). Of all the species identified by the study, fish are the most affected, victims of overfishing. The bluefin tuna has thus seen its adult population drop by 90%.

"Most species are bearing the brunt of the effects of human activity and climate change, the magnitude of which is expected to increase in the coming decades," said Thomas Galewski, study coordinator.

"In addition, a large proportion of species are endemic to the Mediterranean basin and evolve in restricted areas of distribution, making them even more vulnerable", he explains.

The Mediterranean, one of the regions in the world with the largest number of endemic species, is the only sea in the world surrounded by three continents.

Cradle of many civilizations, it is today bordered by highly urbanized regions, which concentrate more than 500 million inhabitants, and 360 million tourists per year (27% of world tourism).

“Encouraging” impact of conservation actions

However, scientists note the “encouraging” impact of several conservation actions such as the supervision of hunting and fishing, the protection of the habitats of the rarest species, the control of sources of pollution or even the reinforcement of the workforce by. reintroductions.

Some species, such as the Alpine ibex, the European vulture, the Dalmatian pelican and the loggerhead turtle, have been saved by these measures.

But scientists note room for improvement in nature conservation efforts, and in particular demand better collaboration from all countries, deploring "a lack of data" on certain species, "because most of the information collected comes from of the countries of the North of the Mediterranean ”.

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