On 24 and 25 April 2017, the second training workshop on Coast and Hydrography indicators was organized in Rome, Italy, in the framework of the EcAp Med II project. In addition to two PAP/RAC representatives and three experts on Coast and Hydrography, six national consultants from EcAp MED II eligible countries (Algeria, Israel, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, and Tunisia) attended the workshop, together with two representatives from Turkey, and the UN Environment/MAP and ISPRA expert.
In the Integrated Monitoring and Assessment Programme (IMAP), adopted by the COP 19 in 2016, the 27 indicators were identified as relevant to estimate the good environmental status of the Mediterranean coastal zones and sea. This workshop was dedicated to three indicators belonging to Coast and Hydrography cluster, namely: “Length of coastline subject to physical disturbance due to the influence of manmade structures”; “Location and extent of the habitats impacted directly by hydrographic alterations; and “Land use change”. PAP/RAC experts presented the indicators individually to define precisely the monitoring arrangements, and provided concrete examples of their implementation. Country experts exchanged state-of-the-art regarding the development of national IMAPs. The Shared Environmental Information Systems (SEIS) was presented by the UN Environment/MAP expert. The workshop was concluded with a presentation on importance of interconnection between EO1 Biodiversity (i.e. marine habitats) and EO7 (i.e. estimation of hydrographic alterations) by the ISPRA expert. One of the main requests formulated by national experts was the need for capacity building, especially in terms of technical support regarding the implementation of the indicators (e.g. modeling, GIS application, etc.). The dynamic exchange of workshop participants enhanced the already established sound basis for a harmonized and efficient monitoring of Mediterranean coastal zones.
