Designation & Management of Marine Reserve Networks (DEMARN)

Click here for PDF of the presentation

Title:  From the Levant to Gibraltar:  A Regional Perspective for Marine Conservation in the Mediterranean Sea

Journal:  Ambio — A Journal of the Human Enviornment

Date of acceptance: May, 2012

The workshop was held in Santorini, Greece, April 2-5, 2012.  The workshop brought together marine conservation experts from all over the Mediterranean and the world (including the US and Australia) to look at overlaps and gaps in research and to forge a way forward. Link to workshop website

Link to Presentation

The first part of this reserve was approved for protection in 1965 consisted of 311 dunams of mostly terrestrial area along the shore. An extension approved in 2009, added over 2,000 dunam and provides protection over a geographical area from the Rosh HaNikra grottos to the limits of the territorial waters (see chronological establishment of protection in the table below).

The reserve includes a long stretch of beach about 6.5 km, between Rosh National Park in the north to the remains of Achziv port in the south. The marine part consists of a number of small bays with partially submerged abrasion tables (and tidal pools).  It encompasses a reef system at about 1.5 km offshore and six offshore islands in two clusters.

There are the isles of Rosh Hanikra: Techelet (“Light Blue”), Shachaf (“Seagull”), Nachlieli (“Wagtail”) and farther south the cluster of Achziv isles:  Sgavion (named for the head of the synagogue at Achziv at the time of the Mishnah), Achziv Isle and the Achziv Reef isle. The islands are a focal point for nesting birds particularly for the Nachlieli. The isles have been classified as a nature reserve. The Isles, a single geological unit, make up tops of the western calcareous (Kurkur) mountain range of the Galilee coastal plain. They were formed as a result of the destruction of the calcareous ridge and the resulting eastward retreat of the coast.

There are a multitude of caves and tunnels in the natural rock structures along the shore, including a tunnel about 10 m, with a number of openings that create natural water fountains.These caves and holes are home to a variety of organizms, including octopus, sponges, crabs and various fish. In the reserve are a number of dive sites.

This two page summary outlining the accomplishments of the first 16 months of the project. Overall research objectives and next steps are also mentioned.

Click here to view a PDF of this report.

Winter 2012:   Project transferred from Hebrew University of Jerusalem to Technion – Israel Institute of Technology

Portman, M. E., 2011. Marine Spatial Planning: Achieving and Evaluating Integration, ICES Journal of Marine Science, 68(10), pp. 2191-2200.

This articles describes research that uses quandrant analysis to evaluate the level of integration achieved by marine spatial planning.  It explores specific countries’ recent marine spatial plans as case studies.  Conservation goals designed to protect the marine environment within these plans are also addressed.

From the Shores of Israel to Gibraltar:  Current Status of Marine Protected Areas of the Mediterranean Sea

Click here for PDF of Presentation (in Hebrew)