Specially protected areas within the context of the Mediterranean environmental programme

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Tezin Türü: Yüksek Lisans

Tezin Yürütüldüğü Kurum: Orta Doğu Teknik Üniversitesi, İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi, Uluslararası İlişkiler Bölümü, Türkiye

Tezin Onay Tarihi: 2011

Öğrenci: EDA ZORLU

Danışman: ŞULE GÜNEŞ

Özet:

The enclosed and semi-enclosed seas are the most severely degraded and fragile ecosystems which necessitates immediate political responses. The problems encountered in relation to biological decline and habitat loss requires a special attention due to their unique value for the whole marine and coastal systems. The main purpose of this thesis is to analyze the contribution of the Mediterranean Environmental Programme to the protection and the preservation of the natural resources and biodiversity with a special focus on Turkey. The Mediterranean Environmental Programme which was launched in 1975 with an Action Plan and conducted through an umbrella convention which addresses this issue through the SPA/BD Protocol. In line with the SPA/BD Protocol over 750 areas are designated as specially protected areas and 25 areas as SPAMIs throughout the Mediterranean. Turkey as a Contacting Party to the 1995 Barcelona Convention and the SPA/BD Protocol, declared specially environmental protected areas which amount to 12.842,46 km2 . This thesis argues that the Mediterranean Environmental Programme provides a dynamic and flexible tool for the Mediterranean countries to address marine related problems including the biodiversity and protected areas. Whereas the ultimate success of the cooperation lies in effective implementation at national level which depends on the will of the decision makers, practitioners and the various other stakeholders; the responsive characteristics of the legislative and administrative processes.