Why in the News?
At COP24 of the Barcelona Convention held in Cairo, European Union countries and Mediterranean partners adopted strengthened commitments to protect the Mediterranean Sea from pollution and ecological degradation.
About Barcelona Convention
- A legally binding regional environmental agreement led by United Nations Environment Programme
- Focuses on protection of the Mediterranean Sea and sustainable coastal management
Key Milestones
- Adopted on 16 February 1976 as Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean Sea Against Pollution
- Entered into force in 1978
- Amended and renamed in 1995 as the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean
About Mediterranean Sea
- A semi enclosed intercontinental sea between Europe, Asia and Africa
- Covers about 2.5 million square kilometres
- Accounts for roughly 0.7 percent of global ocean area
- Recognised as a global biodiversity hotspot
Connectivity
- Atlantic Ocean through Strait of Gibraltar
- Black Sea through Dardanelles, Sea of Marmara and Bosporus
- Red Sea through Suez Canal
Prelims Pointers
- Barcelona Convention is a regional sea convention under UNEP
- Mediterranean Sea is semi enclosed making it vulnerable to pollution
- COP is the supreme decision making body of the Convention
- Integrated coastal zone management is a key protocol area
| [2017] Mediterranean Sea is a border of which of the following countries?
1. Jordan 2. Iraq 3. Lebanon 4. Syria Select the correct answer using the code given below: (a) 1, 2 and 3 only (b) 2 and 3 only (c) 3 and 4 only (d) 1, 3 and 4 only |
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