Irene Martín Morales I Málaga, (EFE).- The new director of the Center for Mediterranean Cooperation of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Maher Mahjoub, assures that “caring for ecosystems” is already “a political duty and social” to combat climate change, which is affecting “the loss of biodiversity and habitats in the region”.
Mahjoub stresses, in an interview with EFE, that in order to achieve this challenge it is necessary to “consolidate and strengthen the relationship between the countries” of the Mediterranean arc.
“There is still a big gap between the north and the south”, whether for “financial, social or access to information reasons”, he explains, but “IUCN relies on its members and we must support them to find common solutions and take action facing the challenges that are coming”.
More collaboration between governments and NGOs
Mahjoub, in charge of the entity that develops the main international cooperation program to protect the biodiversity of the Mediterranean area, is also committed to “improving the links between governments and civil organizations such as NGOs”, which until now “have not established trust among themselves ”, although they have similar objectives for the region.
Governments, he adds, although they are “more aware” of the consequences of climate change, establish “other priorities on their agenda”, despite the fact that “including the environment is not a luxury, but a duty”, since “there is no plan B”.
With extensive experience in the Tunisian Ministry of the Environment, the World Commission on Protected Areas and the IUCN itself, he highlights Spain as a country that “has supported the center since its inception” and can adopt “a leading role” due to “its experience in creation, management and monitoring in protected areas” to implement the global framework of biodiversity in the Mediterranean.
“The first step is to know the potential of your country,” he stresses.
The Mediterranean, a focus of biodiversity
The Mediterranean, surrounded by 23 countries, is “a hot spot for biodiversity”, although it barely “has 8% protection”, compared to 16% for other seas and oceans”.
This, warns the expert, must change significantly in order to meet “the 30×30 objective”, which means protecting 30% of the world’s oceans by 2030, as agreed at the UN Conference on Biodiversity (COP15).
“We already have several projects in this line” and one of them is oriented to the Alboran Sea, a small area of the Mediterranean characterized by its “complications” and its “potential” and which was marked as a “priority” by the IUCN in 2010.
In it, the organization “identifies protected areas” and proposes joint action with surrounding countries based on information from administrations, universities and other institutions.
More ecosystems in danger
Mahjoub highlights the IUCN’s work in other ecosystems that are also threatened by habitat loss, increased pollution and invasive species, such as forests, which accumulate fires, or wetlands, which lack water due to lack of rain.
He gives Doñana as an example, which “is well known for its wetlands, birds and all its biodiversity” and is experiencing “a harsh situation, especially due to the drought.”
“Our challenge is to see why it has reached this state and create a road map to restore the situation to the way it was years ago,” says Mahjoub, who recalls that Doñana has belonged to its Green List since 2014, which has an “independent panel of experts” to give answers and recommendations to the administration.
Performance in Malaga
The manager has especially appealed to the action in Malaga, where the Center for Mediterranean Cooperation is based, and defends “valuing and quantifying” the environmental services of the Guadalhorce basin and the Sierra de las Nieves National Park as natural spaces keys.
“I believe that for aspects related to the environment and its conservation there should be more support and power for cities,” he says.
In his opinion, if Malaga finally hosts Expo 2027 it will be “an excellent opportunity to show its commitment to nature”. “If it is successful, we should strengthen our collaboration to identify joint actions to preserve biodiversity and fight climate change,” he remarks. EFE