Mapping Blue Tourism: Vulnerability Assessment of Mediterranean Coastal and Marine Ecosystems

Presentation

Understanding which areas in the Mediterranean are most vulnerable to tourism can help identify priority areas for strengthened management and protection in line with the global target to effectively protect 30% of coastal and marine areas by 2030, and increase ocean resilience.

This report provides a spatial assessment of the vulnerability of the Mediterranean region to tourism activities linked to coastal and marine areas (i.e. blue tourism) pre and post COVID-19, including:

1. Cumulative impacts of blue tourism on sensitive Mediterranean ecosystems.

2. Impacts of leisure boat activity on the seagrass species Posidonia oceanica.

3. Impacts of marine traffic on cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) in the Pelagos Sanctuary.

Areas of high vulnerability were identified by finding overlaps between areas under pressure from tourism, critical areas for biodiversity, and protected areas. Vulnerable areas are important to biodiversity, are exposed to high tourism pressures, and are unprotected.