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SAVING
THE MED
The sea on our doorstep makes up a minnow-sized 1% of the world’s oceans but it’s a big fish in the blue economy, netting 20% of the fiscal catch. But the Med is in deep trouble. A ‘blue goldrush’ of commercial exploitation over decades and six months of coronavirus have created a perfect storm, wreaking havoc on its natural assets and setting the marine economies of 22 surrounding countries on a course for the rocks. In a global SOS to mark World Ocean Day this summer, the World Wildlife Fund unveiled the blueprint for a ‘Blue Recovery’ – one that could deliver healthier ecosystems and economies IF we can increase Marine Protected Areas to 30% by 2030. The Med’s not even a third of the way yet and the clock is ticking. Belinda Beckett reports.
One of the last Mediterranean monk seals 32 / SEPTEMBER 2020 WWW.ESSENTIALMAGAZINE.COM
