RESTORE4Cs has released Policy Brief 5: Advancing Policy Integration Across Mediterranean Countries: Aligning with the Barcelona Convention and International Commitments Through a Common Evidence-Based Strategy.
The brief highlights the urgent need for coordinated, science-based policy action to halt and reverse the rapid loss of Mediterranean coastal wetlands, ecosystems essential for biodiversity, climate resilience, and regional prosperity.
Mediterranean Wetlands at Risk
Coastal wetlands, including lagoons, deltas, marshes, and mudflats, deliver critical ecosystem services such as carbon storage, flood protection, pollution filtration, and freshwater supply for agriculture. Yet these ecosystems are disappearing at an alarming rate.
Over the past 50 years, around 50% of Mediterranean wetlands have vanished, driven by urbanisation, agricultural expansion, erosion, infrastructure development, and the intensifying impacts of climate change. Wetland-dependent species have declined by 46% (1990–2013), and most protected EU coastal wetland habitats remain in poor conservation status.
A Common, Evidence-Based Approach
RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief 5 underscores the need for harmonised indicators and metrics across Mediterranean countries, aligned with the Barcelona Convention’s IMAP, EU policies, Ramsar guidance, and global biodiversity and climate frameworks.
These indicators should prioritise:
- Wetland extent and condition
- Trends in restoration and ecosystem health
- Wetland contributions to GHG abatement and climate adaptation
- Monitoring of hydrological connectivity, pollution reduction, and invasive species pressure
- Assessment of wetland vulnerability to climate-related disasters
A coordinated performance-monitoring framework will support adaptive management, guide investments, and streamline regional reporting.
Delivering on Regional and International Commitments
The brief maps the alignment of wetland-related targets under:
- The Post-2020 SAPBIO
- The Strategy for MCPAs and OECMs
- Regional Plans on Urban Wastewater Treatment, Sewage Sludge Management, and Marine Litter
- The Regional Climate Change Adaptation Framework
- EU Green Deal and Nature Restoration objectives
- Ramsar and global biodiversity frameworks
Technology & Collaboration: A New Era of Monitoring
Recent advances, such as high-resolution satellite imagery, autonomous drones, and AI, offer unparalleled opportunities to improve the quality and consistency of wetland monitoring. Combined with cross-border cooperation, stakeholder partnerships, and local community engagement, these innovations can enable early warning systems, support adaptive management, and accelerate restoration success.
Driving Restoration for Climate and People
RESTORE4Cs Policy Brief 5 provides a practical roadmap for governments, researchers, managers, and policy-makers to harmonise efforts, mobilise funding, and integrate wetland restoration into national climate strategies. By adopting common indicators and investing in new monitoring technologies, Mediterranean countries can enhance resilience, protect biodiversity, and achieve shared sustainability goals.
Read and download the 5th Policy Brief in the Case Pilot languages (Romanian, Portuguese, Dutch, Lithuanian, French, and Spanish) here.
Read the full RESTORE4Cs 5th Policy Brief below:
