Climate Change in Coastal Zones of the Mediterranean: Background Paper

AIMED AT: Policy makers, experts developing projects PURPOSE: Background information on major impacts of climate change on coastal areas GEOGRAPHICAL AREA: Mediterranean TECHNICAL AREA: Projection of major parameters, adaptation measures and related case studies BASIC STRUCTURE: After reviewing the current national circumstances of MAP Contracting Parties, terms of their physical environment, their major ecosystems and their socioeconomic status, the document establishes a broad indication of sensitivity to climate change. The paper then considers current status of vulnerability and adaptation initiatives across MAP Contracting Parties (CPs), which involves a review of the range of plans and strategies and projects and programmes operative in the region at various temporal and spatial scales. The purpose of the review exercise was to establish a broad measure of the potential adaptive capacity associated with specific CPs. Through the course of this exercise, a number of approaches to coastal adaptation were show-cased with a view to highlighting best practice for subsequent application in a Mediterranean context. The measures, options and actions associated with discrete “types” of adaptation were discussed to inform the identification of the most relevant approaches for the complex range of climate change issues to which the MAP CPs are susceptible. The review has identified a number of key issues and information gaps that inhibit a proactive and coordinated approach to climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean coastal zone. Overall, the information contained within this report provides the necessary background information to develop recommendations for PAP/RAC, to support adaptation to climate change impacts in coastal zones, but could also have wider implications due to generic nature of many recommendations in the report.

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