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CASE STUDIES FROM UNDP SUPPORTED, GEF FINANCED PROJEC TS IN THE EUROPE AND CIS REGION
1.5 Marine and coastal ecosystems The ECIS region’s marine and coastal ecosystems range from the Mediterranean to the Arctic Ocean. Their overall condition could be described as satisfactory, attributable to a range of factors, such as the effectiveness of EU environmental legislation (in the Black Sea and Mediterranean countries), progress in implementing international projects and conventions (e.g. in the Black Sea), and physical remoteness, which has protected some areas (e.g. arctic ecosystems) from direct human influence. The coastal fisheries of the Mediterranean countries and the Russian Federation are economically very important; for example, 60 percent of Russia’s overall fisheries production comes from Kamchatka and its surrounding waters. The impact of climate change on marine ecosystems has become increasingly apparent in recent years. The ocean and marine ecosystems are among the largest sinks of carbon on the planet. The net atmosphere-to-ocean flux represents 30.5 percent of the world’s carbon storage, while the net atmosphere-to-land flux accounts for just 12.5
percent22. The marine plants that form extensive underwater ‘meadows’ are responsible for about 15 percent of total carbon storage in the oceans. Meadows of Posidonia oceanica, a locally widespread Mediterranean endemic plant, represent a substantial store of carbon. Almost 20 per cent of all known Mediterranean species have their habitat in the Posidonia meadows, including the endangered loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) and the largest bivalve mollusc in the Mediterranean, Pinna nobilis23. Major threats to Mediterranean biodiversity identified by WWF include lack of control over trawling and anchoring sites, inappropriate plans for tourism development, lack of capacity assessment for nautical tourism destinations, untreated wastewaters (urban and industrial) and inappropriate mariculture development. At present, however, around 80 percent of Mediterranean habitats remain unprotected. In the arctic seas, the impact of climate instability on biodiversity is already being witnessed, and much larger impacts are expected (with signifi-
22 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (2007). Fourth assessment report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. IPCC, Geneva, Switzerland. 23 Boudouresque, C.F. (2004). Marine biodiversity in the Mediterranean: status of species, populations and communities. Sci. Rep. Port-Cros Natl Park, 20: 97-146. 24 ACIA (2005). Arctic climate impact assessment. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
cant regional variation) over this century. Some places in the Arctic are warming at five to ten times the rate of the rest of the planet. By 2100, the Arctic is expected to have warmed by 3°-5°C over its land and by 7°C over its oceans, contributing to dramatic changes in its ecosystems24. Predicted impacts include a more than 50 percent decline in the extent of summer sea ice, and the displacement of existing arctic species and ecosystems (e.g. polar deserts and tundra) by more southern species and ecosystems spreading northward. Other imminent threats to arctic biodiversity stem from alien invasive species and from the impact of pollution by hydrocarbons and other hazardous materials. Coastline of the Caspian Sea in Turkmenistan. PHOTO: MICHAEL R APPLETON
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