country reports - european commission · this country report provides a comprehensive overview and...

Country reports

© European Commission study - 1-

I. SPAIN

Disclaimer This document has not been adopted by the European Commission and should therefore not be relied upon as a statement of the European Commission. The purpose of this document is merely to provide a comprehensive overview based on available information without claiming to be exhaustive. Although stakeholder consultation has taken place to verify the collected information, it is possible that this document does not reflect the view of all stakeholders involved. This document has been updated until February 2011. This country report provides a comprehensive overview and assessment of the current state-of-play with regard to Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in Spain1. After detailing Spain’s country characteristics, its most important maritime activities are presented. Next, the country report discusses the legal aspects, key players, plans and projects related to Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM) and MSP as well as the relevant international initiatives and platforms for cooperation. To conclude, the main findings related to Maritime Spatial Planning are summed up. The sources of information used and persons contacted are listed at the end. Please note that Spain forms part of one of the four marine areas which were studied in further detail.

I.1. COUNTRY CHARACTERISTICS

Spain is a country located in the southwest of Europe, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea. Spain consists of 17 regions (“Comunidades Autónomas”), as well as the two Autonomous Cities of Ceuta and Melilla. Those cities and four regions (Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia and Andalucia), are located along the Mediterranean seashore. Also the Balearic Islands are located in the Mediterranean Sea2, occupying an area of 4 992 km². On the seaside, Spain is bordered by France

1 For the purpose of this study 20 country reports have been drawn up in total. Relevant available information on Monaco

is included in the case study of the Western Mediterranean and information on the United Kingdom (Gibraltar) is included in the case study of the Alboran Sea.

2 Spain has two major island groups, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands; the Balearic Islands are situated in the Mediterranean, whereas the Canary Islands are located in the Atlantic Ocean. In the Mediterranean, Spain counts a number of additional islets such as the Columbrets Islands, Islas Chafarinas and Perejil Island with a land area of maximum 1 km².

Exploring the potential of maritime spatial planning in the Mediterranean

- 2 - © European Commission study

and the UK (Gibraltar) and connects with Morocco and Algeria through the Alboran Sea. A summary of the most important country characteristics is presented in Table 1. Spain has a coastline of 7 880 km, with approximately 3 200 km in the Mediterranean. Spain has established an Exclusive Economic Zone in the Atlantic Ocean, but not in the Mediterranean Sea basin. Furthermore, Spain established a Fishery Protection Zone in the Western Mediterranean which runs from Cape Gata in the south up to the maritime boundary with France3. This means that the Fishery Protection Zone does not apply to the Alboran Sea4. The continental shelf in the Alboran Sea is extremely narrow.

Table 1: Country characteristics – Spain

24 nmContiguous zone***

Cape Gata in the south of Spain up to the maritime boundary with France

/Area (km²)

The Balearic Islands (4 992 km²)Mediterranean islands 3 200 km²Mediterranean coastline length*

Data not availableWater depth

37 nmExclusive Fishing Zone****

Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Andalucia, The Balearic IslandsMediterranean coastal regions

12 nmTerritorial seaBreadthMaritime zones**

Spain

24 nmContiguous zone***

Cape Gata in the south of Spain up to the maritime boundary with France

/Area (km²)

The Balearic Islands (4 992 km²)Mediterranean islands 3 200 km²Mediterranean coastline length*

Data not availableWater depth

37 nmExclusive Fishing Zone****

Catalonia, Valencia, Murcia, Andalucia, The Balearic IslandsMediterranean coastal regions

12 nmTerritorial seaBreadthMaritime zones**

Spain

* Source: Spanish authorities** Based on the national acts or decrees of the maritime zones*** Source: CIA, The World Factbook**** The Exclusive Fishing Zone only applies in the Mediterranean Sea (up to Cape Gata); along the Atlantic Ocean, Spain has declared an

Exclusive Economic Zone Source: Policy Research Corporation

I.2. MARITIME ACTIVITIES AND THE PROTECTION OF MARINE AREAS

The most important maritime sectors in Spain are coastal and marine tourism, fisheries, maritime transport and mariculture. Plans for offshore wind farms in Spain, the world’s fourth largest producer of wind energy, have been set-up and will possibly be established in the future. The Spanish port system consist of 28 Port Authorities managing 46 ports of general interest, which handled 412.7 million tonnes in 2009, 13 of these Port Authorities are located in the Mediterranean. More that 115 000 vessels called at the Spanish ports, 72 500 in the Mediterranean ports. Spain has become an important logistic platform in the Mediterranean Sea area. An important share of the total

3 The Fishery Protection Zone is defined by geographical coordinates based on the principle of the equidistant line with

States with opposite coasts; in the zone, Spain exercises sovereign rights for the conservation, management and control of fishing activities, without prejudice to the measures adopted or to be adopted by the European Union as regards the protection and conservation of living marine resources.

4 The Alboran Sea is located between Spain, Morocco and Algeria.

Country reports


container moves is related to transhipment. Some 200 000 ships cross the Mediterranean annually and the maritime traffic becomes congested in narrow passages through which ships enter and exit the Mediterranean Sea basin, such as the Strait of Gibraltar which is just 14 km wide. The International Maritime Organisation (IMO) has established a Traffic Separation Scheme in the Strait of Gibraltar to avoid collisions. Besides the risk of collisions, Spain also faces problems as regards oil spills and pollution. The Spanish coastal tourism industry accounted for more than 11% of the country’s GDP in 2004. Along the Mediterranean coastline, the regions of Catalonia, Valencia, Andalusia and the Balearic Islands attract most visitors5. Spain is an EU leader regarding fisheries6. The Spanish fishing fleet consists of close to 11 420 fishing vessels (2009), representing the EU’s largest fishing fleet in terms of tonnage. Half of the fleet, both in terms of vessels and tonnage is registered in Galician ports, along the Atlantic Ocean. Furthermore, Spain is a major contributor to the EU’s mariculture production, both in terms of quantity and value7. The distribution of mariculture production in Spain is visualised in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Mariculture production – Spain

Source: Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs, Spain

5 European Commission – DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, EU Maritime Policy – Facts and Figures: Spain. 6 According to the latest Eurostat figures, Spain caught close to 119 094 tonnes (live weight) of fish in the Mediterranean

in 2007. 7 In Spain, total mariculture production amounted to 294 982 tonnes live weight in 2007 (EUROSTAT figures).

XX Fish XX Molluscs XX Crustaceans



Within the shipping sector, cruise tourism is an important maritime activity along the Spanish Mediterranean coasts. In 2008, more than 1 million cruise passengers embarked in Spain and close to 3.6 million passengers had Spain as their destination. The most important Spanish home ports in this respect are Barcelona and Palma Majorca8.

Figure 2: Offshore wind farms – Spain (concept/early planning stage)

Source: Spanish Wind Energy Association aee), 2009, Wind Power 2009

8 G.P. Wild (International) Limited and Business Research & Economic Advisors, 2009, Contribution of Cruise Tourism

to the Economies of Europe.

Country reports


Finally, Spain is the world’s fourth largest producer of wind power9. In Andalucia for example, over 5 000 wind turbines have been installed within 10 km of the coast. Currently, no offshore wind farms are installed, but the Spanish government has launched initiatives to speed up their installation10. The Environmental Strategic Study for the Spanish coast11 analysed the environmentally suitable areas for offshore wind farms along the entire coastline of Spain which is discussed in the remainder of this country report (see Section I.4). At present, offshore developers have submitted 32 offshore wind farm projects along the Mediterranean Sea basin. These projects are presented in Figure 2. As to the marine biodiversity hot-spots, a number of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) has been established along the Spanish Mediterranean coast, which are visualised in Figure 3. According to the most recent information available to the European Commission (GIS calculated values, mid-2009), the marine area designated as NATURA 2000 measures 7 835 km² in Spain12. Of the coastal and marine protected areas in the Mediterranean Sea basin in Spain:

− 9 are recognised as Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Interest (SPAMI);

− 87 are recognised as marine and coastal NATURA 2000 sites;

− 21 areas are recognised as marine Important Bird Areas (IBA) by BirdLife. Greenpeace, WWF – the World Wide Fund for nature – and IUCN – the United Institute for the Conservation of Nature – state that unique deep sea ecosystems are situated in the Alboran Sea, the Strait of Gibraltar and close to the Balearic Islands. Moreover, the Alboran and Strait of Gibraltar host numerous threatened cetacean species13.

9 WWEA, 2010, World Wind Energy Report 2009. 10 Offshore development estimate: 1 000 – 1 500 MW installed by 2020 (~ 1% of total energy consumption in Spain)

according to EWEA and 5 000 MW installed by 2020 according to the Spanish Wind Energy Association (~ National Renewable Energy Plan 2010-2020).

11 Ministerios de Industria, Turismo y Comercio, de Medio Ambiente, y de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, 2009, Estudio estratégico ambiental del litoral español para la instalación de parques eólicos marinos.

12 European Commission – DG Environment, 2009, NATURA 2000 area calculation. 13 Greenpeace, Marine reserves for the Mediterranean Sea and IUCN, WWF and MedPAN, Status of Marine Protected

Areas in the Mediterranean.



Figure 3: Marine Protected Areas – Spain14

Source: Policy Research Corporation based on The Network of Managers of Marine Protected Areas in the

Mediterranean, www.medpan.org

As regards Marine Reserves, the first protection measures were implemented more than twenty years ago in the framework of fishery regulations. Today, the policies related to marine protection aim to:

− Regenerate the resources which have an interest to fisheries;

− Guarantee the sustainability of artisanal fisheries;

− Protect fish habitats;

− Raise awareness on the problems associated to the environment in artisanal fisheries areas. There are 22 marine reserves, 10 of them are managed by the Government. Figure 4 shows the last ones that have been protected. Nowadays, Spain is processing the “Ley de Protección del Medio Marino” which will include all the protection figures existing for marine areas. Another law which is also being prepared and would contribute to protect marine zones is the one on biological research (bioprospección).

14 The MPAs recognised as SPAMI (Specially Protected Area of Mediterranean Importance as defined in the Barcelona’s

Convention Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean) are Acantilados de Maro-Cerro Gordo, Isla Alboran, Cabo de Gata-Nijar, Fondos marinos del levante almeriense, archipiélago de Cabrera, Mar Menor y zona oriental mediterránea de la costa de la Región de Murcia, Islas Columbretes, Islas Medes and Cap de Creus; some MPAs recognised as Natura 2000 are El Estrecho, Islas Chafarinas, Cabo de Palos and Ses Negrès; some marine areas recognised as IBA (Important Bird Area designated by BirdLife, a global partnership of conservation organisations, that strives to conserve birds, their habitats and global biodiversity) are Estrecho de Gibraltar, Plataforma-talud marinos del Cabo de la Nao and Plataforma marina del Delta del Ebro-Columbretes.

http://www.medpan.org/

Country reports


Figure 4: Recently declared Marine Reserves

Source: Spanish Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs

I.3. LEGAL ASPECTS AND KEY PLAYERS

Competences on maritime and coastal affairs are shared between central and regional governments. There is no single body that coordinates the actions of all different bodies and administrations with competences in maritime affairs. Institutional coordination is assured through sectoral formal and informal platforms such as cross-ministerial commissions, national commissions and sectoral conferences15. Ministries involved in maritime governance at the national level are:

− Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs (MARM);

− Ministry of Science and Innovation (MICINN);

− Ministry of Public Works and Transport;

− Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce;

− Ministry of Defence;

− Ministry of Interior;

− Ministry of Economy and Finance;

− Ministry of Culture;

− Ministry of Employment and Immigration;

− Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation;

15 European Commission – DG Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, 2009, Fact sheet on integrated maritime policy in Spain.



− Several other organisations, e.g. National Research Council-CSIC, Spanish Oceanographic Institute-IEO (attached to the Ministry of Science and Innovation); National Institute for Aerospace Technology INTA (attached to the Ministry of Defence); Spanish National Ports & Harbours Authority - Puertos del Estado (attached to the Ministry of Public Works and Transport); Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA); Mediterranean Marine and Environmental Center.

At the national level, the ministries with the most competences over maritime governance are:

− Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs: responsible in the field of pollution response, fisheries control, accident and disaster response, and biodiversity;

− Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Commerce: responsible for offshore wind energy installations;

− Ministry of Infrastructure: responsible in the field of pollution, maritime safety and security, vessel traffic management, accident and disaster response and search and rescue;

− Ministry of Public Works and Transport.

I.4. NATIONAL AND SUB-NATIONAL PLANS, PROJECTS AND STUDIES RELATED TO ICZM AND MSP

Integrated Coastal Zone Management receives much attention in Spain. In 2005, the Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs published a communication entitled ‘Towards sustainable coastal management in Spain (Hacia una gestión sostenible del litoral español). This communication served as a roadmap for sustainable coastal management, calling for a national coastal management plan, following the EU Recommendation on Integrated Coastal Zone Management of 2002. The communication focused on ICZM in the coastal area, but did not make a concrete reference to the territorial sea. In 2007, Spain presented a draft of its national ICZM strategy ‘Estrategia para la Sostenibilidad de la Costa’. However, also in this strategy no explicit reference was made to the management of the Spanish territorial waters16. This strategy is currently being developed through specific memoranda of understanding (MoUs) between the Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs and the Regional Governments. In addition to it, the ICZM Protocol of the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean has been ratified and a pilot project has been recently launched in the Almeria province (CAMP Levante de Almeria). Spain is currently working on a (draft) law called ‘Marine Environment Protection’ (‘Ley de protección del medio marino’ Bill 121/000059, 12th of March 2010) to develop a strategy for protecting the maritime environment. Its development was triggered by Directive 2009/56/EC, the Framework Directive on Marine Strategy. The current legislation is not sufficient to meet the

16 In addition, the Spanish regions of Catalonia and Andalusia have developed regional integrated plans to manage their

coastal zone, but also in these plans, no explicit reference is made to the Spanish territorial waters.

Country reports


requirements of the Directive and it lacks a comprehensive policy framework. Hence this law is developed, which should provide a uniform and comprehensive framework. According to the draft, the objective of this law is to establish a legal regime that enables the adoption of measures necessary to achieve or maintain a good status of the marine environment through planning, guardianship and protection. MSP is considered as one of the measures that can be used to reach the objectives of good environmental status. In Spain, planning of the marine area, receives primarily attention in the framework of the Spanish Renewable Energy Plan 2005-2010. This plan calls for the establishment of pilot marine wind farms and the installation of 1 000 MW in the territorial sea by 2010 (or 5 000 MW by 2020). In order to reach this objective, the Spanish Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs together with the Ministry of Industry, Tourism and Trade elaborated an Environmental Strategic Study of the Spanish Coast (Estudio estratégico ambiental del litoral español para la instalación de parques eólicos marinos). This study identified maritime-terrestrial public domain areas that fulfil the environmental conditions required for the installation of marine wind farms as presented in Figure 5. The study results were approved by the joint resolution of the Ministries of Industry, Tourism and Trade and Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs in April 2009 and the specific marine wind farm projects will be subject to an Environmental Impact Assessment.

Figure 5: Zoning map of offshore wind farms – Spain

Source: Policy Research Corporation based on Ministerios de Industria, Turismo y Comercio, de Medio

Ambiente, y de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación, 2009, Estudio estratégico ambiental del litoral español para la instalación de parques eólicos marinos

For MSP comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the characteristics of marine physical processes (tides, waves, currents, etc.) is needed. This knowledge is obtained mainly by networks of measuring devices, complemented with analysis and forecasting tools, such as ocean wave and circulation models. Several institutions in Spain have developed this kind of systems. Puertos del Estado manages the most comprehensive measuring network in the country, which includes 15 deep

Zoning offshore wind farms:

Exclusive zones

Areas with environmental determining conditions

Suitable zones



water buoys, 22 coastal buoys and 40 tide gauges, all of them transmitting data in real time. The system is complemented with forecasts for waves, sea level and circulation. All the information generated is to be used by sectors such as ports, shipping, fisheries, coastal and marine tourism or mariculture, and is freely available at Internet.

Figure 6 : Buoys and tide gauges in Spain

Source: Spanish authorities

In 2005, the Mediterranean Institute of Advanced Studies (IMEDEA) together with the Government of the Balearic Islands (DG Research, Technological Development and Innovation) initiated the R+D+i ICZM project in the Balearic Islands (2005-2008). The overall objective of this project was to generate scientific knowledge to help achieve sustainability within an ICZM framework, with specific focus on the Balearic Islands as a case study. The objectives were (1) to generate scientific knowledge related to coastal social-ecological systems, (2) to develop techniques, frameworks and tools to help implement ICZM, and (3) to enable the transfer of scientific knowledge and innovation to society and decision-makers17. One of the major outcomes of the project was the development of a System of Indicators for ICZM in the Balearic Islands, an initiative that was carried out by IMEDEA in partnership with the Economic and Social Council of Mallorca (CES)18. In December 2007, the results of this project, which included a system and implementation plan of 54 indicators (governance, socio-economic, environmental), were formally adopted as a Dictamen (05/2007) by the CES, and presented to the Government of the Balearic Islands at the end of 2008. The implementation of these indicators started in 2009 as a pilot 17 The objectives were accomplished and the major outcomes from 35 multidisciplinary initiatives can be traced at

http://www.costabalearsostenible.com. 18 Diedrich et al., 2010 – Marine Policy, 34 pp 772–781.

Country reports


project on the island of Menorca in collaboration with the Directorate General for Economy, the Balearic Statistics Institute (IBESTAT) and the Socio-environmental Organisation of Menorca (OBSAM). The objectives of the pilot study, which is currently being extended to the island of Mallorca, are to test and adapt the implementation plan for the indicators system, promote coordination among relevant agencies, further develop and standardise the methodologies of measurement, and integrate the system into a broader ICZM governance structure for the islands. Also important is a study carried out since 2008 in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce of Mallorca to establish science-based sustainable development and sound limits to growth in the Mediterranean Islands, as presented in the INSULEUR 2010 meeting of Chambers of Commerce from Islands, in Mallorca in June 2010. Since 2009, research related to ICZM (follow-up of I+D+i GIZC and new initiatives) is being carried out at SOCIB, a Coastal Ocean Observing and Forecasting System in the Balearic Islands, established in January 2009 with funding from the regional and national governments. SOCIB is a research consortium with legal entity that is part of the Spanish Large Scale Infrastructure Facilities (ICTS). It is a multi-platform, integrated facility that will provide streams of oceanographic data and modelling services to support operational oceanography, including a strategic research branch that responds to the needs of society. ICZM related research is being continued by SOCIB within the strategic research area of Sustainability Science and Integrated Coastal and Ocean Management. This includes (a) applied, problem-orientated science directed at developing and evaluating decision-making tools and frameworks for managing social-ecological systems, (b) monitoring and the use of interdisciplinary scientific data for decision-making, and (c) research related to effective governance systems for supporting science-based, integrated approaches to managing coastal and marine ecosystems. The development of Special Area Management Plans (SAMPs) through the application of a Marine Spatial Planning approach, and its linkages with coastal areas through ICZM, will be a priority research area for the team over the coming years. A research project on ‘European Maritime Policy and Spatial Planning – Methodological application to the Atlantic-Mediterranean Arc’ is currently ongoing in Spain. The project is coordinated by the University of Seville and aims primarily to develop a Maritime Spatial Planning model to define, describe and map the maritime territory in Spain (based on national legislation) and propose a methodology to zone maritime areas in Spain. The project will include a specific case study for the Alboran Sea. First zoning schemes developed by the University of Seville cannot be presented because the project has not been published yet. In addition to the above mentioned projects and initiatives, a cooperative project called EEZ-UNCLOS is being conducted by the Hydrographic Institute of the Navy (Instituto Hidrográfico de la Marina). The project includes the systematic screening of the Spanish EEZ with multibeam probes to study its geomorphology and morphostructural features, in order to determine its possible widening.



In addition, the project PERSEO, carried out by the IEO (Spanish Institute of Oceanography) is focussed on the widening of the Spanish continental platform. In this regard, the Secretariat General for the Sea, is developing the ESPACE project aimed at obtaining a high-precision bathymetric mapping (see Figure 7) with as much information as possible about benthic bionomics and at identifying the qualities of the seabed and its distribution within the Spanish continental shelf through high-resolution geophysical techniques (multibeam echosounder and seismic parametric sounding Topas probes).

Figure 7 : Bathymetric map and distribution of seabed qualities in the area of Palamós (left) and Digital model of the continental shelf of the Atlantic Islands (right)

Source: Secretariat General for the Sea. Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs, Spain

Some of the current projects developed by the IEO are dealing with data acquisition and treatment in order to support the management of the marine environment. The SIDFOMAR project, which is being conducted by the IEO, has the goal of organising, merging and homogenising the existing information and future information on the marine environment. Likewise, it tries to develop a system for a better exploitation of the results that come up from marine research projects. At the same time it intends to get a better integration in the Spanish Infrastructure for Spatial Data (IDEE-Infraestructura de Datos Espaciales de España). The project also plans to develop a system for data treatment from multibeam and Topas probes, which incorporated scientific and methodological standards, and for producing cartographic maps. In parallel, the IEO is carrying out the project SIREMAR that intends to collect, summarise, interpret and integrate all the information on marine seabed (for the areas classified under the denomination of Marine Reservoirs) in a Geographic Information System (GIS). The database also incorporates information on the biological richness, habitats, etc. The ultimate aim is to provide advice and support to the current Marine Reservoirs as well as for the designation of new ones. Currently Spain is involved in the process of identification, study and characterisation of some areas of high ecological interest relevant to the Natura 2000 Network of MPAs with a view to their eventual

Country reports


designation as new MPAs within this network. This work is being carried out through the LIFE+ project INDEMARES19. Other initiatives are the project POSIRED20 for the study of the long term evolution of Posidonia Oceanica mats and the spread of the alien species (Caulerpa recemosa) in the region of Murcia, including the fauna associated to these habitats. The IEO is also conducting a study for the establishment of a fisheries protected area in Andalusia, along the coast of the Granada province, between the coastal towns of Calahonda and Castell de Ferro. The study is supported by the Regional Government (Junta de Andalucía). Relevant activities of the IEO in the Atlantic Ocean are the integral study of the Bank Le Danois21 (El Cachucho), which is one of the most singular ecosystems in the Atlantic coasts of Europe, and the project MESH Atlantic22. In 1991 the IEO started a programme for the Study of Temporal Oceanographic Trends along the coasts of Spain, which is the framework for several projects. Some of the IEO projects carrying out oceanographic monitoring studies are RADIALES23, RADMED and STOCA24. In addition to oceanographic data, studies are also carried out with regard to heavy metals and organic pollutants. The IEO25 is also involved in the monitoring of pollutants along the Spanish coasts, developing different programmes and projects in the Mediterranean coasts and the Atlantic coasts.

19 The project, co-funded by the EU and the Spanish Ministry for Environment and Marine and Rural Affairs, is addressing

the study of ten locations from the Atlantic, Mediterranean and Macaronesic regions. These locations are: the Avilés Canyon, the Bank of Galicia, the Vents of Cadiz, Bank of Chella, the Alboran Island, the Ebro Delta and the Columbretes.

20 The project is co-funded by the Regional Government of Murcia and the EU through the Financial Instrument for Fisheries Guidance. Simultaneously, other similar initiatives are being developed in other Spanish regions (Catalonia, Balearic Islands, Valencia, and Andalusia) with the overall aim of setting up a National Network for monitoring the Posidonia oceanica mats.

21 El Cachucho is one of the most singular ecosystems in the Atlantic coasts of Europe. Currently, the IEO also conducts the Project ECOMARG, which is focussed on the monitoring of this Marine Protected Area. The study is carried out with the collaboration and support of the General Direction for Biodiversity (Spanish Ministry for Environment and Marine and Rural Affairs) since 2002.

22 This project is co-funded by the EU through Interreg (IVB), and aims to map the Atlantic area seabed habitats for a better management of the marine environment. The project started at the beginning of 2010 and will last 3 years. It consists of a consortium of 9 partners and 2 associated partners from France, Spain, Portugal and Ireland.

23 The project aim was studying the long-term trends and variability of oceanographic processes in the northern Spanish coast, by means of the systematic collection of physical, biogeochemical and biological variables. Furthermore, the programme tries to understand the response of the ocean and the pelagic ecosystem to climate change and anthropogenic pressures. The samplings are carried out monthly by means of oceanographic cruises in a set of fixed oceanographic stations located in 5 transects which are situated off Santander, Gijón, Cudillero, A Coruña and Vigo.

24 RADMED and STOCA are projects carried out in the Spanish coast of the Western Mediterranean and the Gulf of Cadiz. They are based on the collection of samples at fixed oceanographic stations, but the sampling cycle is quarterly instead of monthly.

25 With the support of the Spanish Ministry for Environment and Marine and Rural Affairs, and within the framework of international conventions, agreements and organisations, for the protection and study of the marine environment (OSPAR; MAP, CIESM).



Spain has a substantial submerged archaeological heritage. The Spanish Government (through cooperation between the Ministries of Culture and Defence and coastal regions) is mapping these archaeological areas in order to give them the appropriated protection against illicit exploitation. The areas, once they are mapped, could be incorporated in this report, with the appropriated security provisions.

I.5. STATUS OF THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE MARINE STRATEGY FRAMEWORK DIRECTIVE

Table 2 provides insight into the current status of the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) in Spain.

Table 2: Status of the implementation of the MSFD - Spain

For compliance with OSPAR, UNEP-MAP and WFD, a number of monitoring programmes are already in place; these will be adjusted to meet MSFD requirements

The establishment and implementation of a monitoring programme for ongoing assessment and regular updating of targets

The establishment of a series of environmental targets and associated indicators

The determination of good environmental status for the waters concerned

An appropriate coordination and technical working structure has set up; moreover, the task of identifying information sources has started

The assessment of the current environmental status of the waters concerned and the environmental impact of human activities thereon

CompletedIn developmentNot startedWhat is the status of:

For compliance with OSPAR, UNEP-MAP and WFD, a number of monitoring programmes are already in place; these will be adjusted to meet MSFD requirements

The establishment and implementation of a monitoring programme for ongoing assessment and regular updating of targets

The establishment of a series of environmental targets and associated indicators

The determination of good environmental status for the waters concerned

An appropriate coordination and technical working structure has set up; moreover, the task of identifying information sources has started

The assessment of the current environmental status of the waters concerned and the environmental impact of human activities thereon

CompletedIn developmentNot startedWhat is the status of:

Source: Policy Research Corporation based on Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs,

e-mail of July 16, 2010

The Marine Protection Act, which transposes the Marine Strategy Framework Directive, is under Parliamentary procedure. This act establishes the Ministry of Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs as the competent authority. Nevertheless, as the act is not yet approved by the Parliament, alterations to the proposed text (and consequently to the competent authorities) are possible26. With regard to the implementation of the MSFD, a web-based public consultation was conducted during the period July – September 2009. In addition, all NGOs related to the protection of the marine environment and maritime industrial sectors as well as trade unions and all public administrations have been consulted. All of these contributions have been taken into account in the final text of the Marine Protection Act27.

26 Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, e-mail of July 16, 2010. 27 Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs, e-mail of July 16, 2010.

Country reports


I.6. INTERNATIONAL INITIATIVES RELATED TO ICZM AND MSP

International initiatives (including EU-funded projects) related to ICZM and MSP in the Mediterranean Sea basin are presented in Annex II of the final report. Spain is / was involved in:

− The Alboran platform (Spain, Morocco and Algeria);

− The EU-funded projects:

o The ACCESIBILITA INTERMODALITA project (Italy, Portugal and Spain);

o The AMPAMED project (France, Italy and Spain);

o The BEACHMED project (France, Italy, Spain and Tunisia);

o The BEACHMED-E project (France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Spain and Tunisia);

o The BLUEMASSMED project, for the integration of maritime surveillance in the Mediterranean Sea and its Atlantic approaches (France, Italy, Portugal, Greece, Malta and Spain);

o The COASTANCE project (Croatia, Cyprus, France, Italy, Greece and Spain);

o The DEDUCE project (France, Latvia, Malta, Poland and Spain);

o The ECASA project (Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom);

o The ECOSUMMER project (Greece, Spain and the United Kingdom);

o The EMPAFISH project (France, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom);

o The ENCORA project (Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Morocco, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and Ukraine);

o The EUROSION project (France, Spain and the Netherlands);

o The HERMES project (Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Kenya, Morocco, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ukraine);

o The INDEMARES project (co-funded by the EU through LIFE+)

o The MedPAN project (Algeria, Croatia, France, Greece, Italy, Morocco, Malta, Slovenia, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey);

o The MESH ATLANTIC project (France, Spain, Portugal, Ireland)

o The PEGASO project (Algeria, Belgium, Egypt, France, Greece, Croatia, Italy, Lebanon, Morocco, Romania, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia, Turkey, the United Kingdom and Ukraine);

o The SEAS-ERA project (Spain, Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Norway, Malta, Portugal, The Netherlands, Turkey, United Kingdom, Romania, Ukraine, Georgia) is coordinated by Spain and aims at improving cooperation at regional level of marine research programmes and fostering synergies to reach a critical mass to address major cross-thematic marine and maritime research challenges.



I.7. MAIN FINDINGS RELEVANT FOR MARITIME SPATIAL PLANNING

The main findings with respect to the potential for the application of Maritime Spatial Planning in Spain are: Country characteristics and maritime activities:

− Spain established a Fishery Protection Zone in the Mediterranean Sea basin which runs from the border with France up to Cape Gata (border of the Alboran Sea);

− The main maritime activities in Spain are coastal and marine tourism, fisheries, mariculture and maritime transport; furthermore Spain has concrete plans to establish several offshore wind farms in its territorial sea;

− Together with Algeria and Morocco, Spain borders the Alboran Sea which is characterised by a large marine biodiversity; human activities that currently put pressure on the Alboran Sea are shipping, land-based water discharges, tourism, overfishing and sand extractions (not in Spain);

− Spain is a Contracting Party to the Barcelona Convention.

Current status of Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Maritime Spatial Planning:

− Spain is advanced in Integrated Coastal Zone Management at national as well as regional level; however, coastal management plans do not explicitly refer to the Spanish territorial sea;

− The multiple initiatives aiming at improving knowledge of the sea and at improving sustainability (e.g. SOCIB) contribute to the opportunities for the development of ICZM and MSP;

− Spain’s concrete efforts towards zoning of the marine area emerged from the plans to establish offshore wind farms in Spanish territorial waters; in addition, the University of Seville is currently conducting a research project aiming to propose a methodology to zone maritime areas in Spain;

− Spain is developing a draft law for the protection of the marine environment; the Spanish government considers MSP as a useful tool for reaching the targets of this law;

Country reports


I.8. OVERVIEW OF SOURCES OF INFORMATION USED AND PERSONS CONTACTED

a/ Sources of information used:

− Cachón de Mesa J., 2009, Presentation on Marin Wind Farms in Spain – Environmental Assessment Strategic Study;

− Diedrich et al., 2010 – Marine Policy, 34 pp 772–781;

− European Commission, 2009, Fact sheet on integrated maritime policy in Spain;

− European Commission, EU Maritime Policy – Facts and Figures: Spain;

− Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, www.fao.org;

− G.P. Wild (International) Limited and Business Research & Economic Advisors, 2009, Contribution of Cruise Tourism to the Economies of Europe;

− Greenpeace, Marine reserves for the Mediterranean Sea;

− IUCN, Alboran, une vision pour le futur;

− IUCN, 2007, Conservation et developpement durable de la Mer d’Alboran: Eléments stratégiques pour sa gestion future;

− IUCN, 2009, An agreement regarding the future of the Alboran Sea;

− IUCN, WWF and MedPAN, Status of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean;

− Ministerios de Industria, Turismo y Comercio, de Medio Ambiente, y de Agricultura, Pesca y Alimentación 2009, Estudio estratégico ambiental del litoral español para la instalación de parques eólicos marinos;

− Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs, 2007, Estrategia para la Sostenibilidad de la Costa;

− Ministry for the Environment and Rural and Maritime Affairs, 2005, Hacia una géstion sostenible del litoral español (ICZM strategy);

− Spanish Wind Energy Association, 2009, Wind power 2009;

− Suarez de Vivero J.L. (University of Seville), European Maritime Policy and Spatial Planning, Methodological application to the Atlantic-Mediterranean Arc;

− The Network of Managers of Marine Protected Areas in the Mediterranean, www.medpan.org;

− WWEA, 2010, World Wind Energy Report 2009

− 4C Offshore, 2009, Global Offshore Wind Farms Database, http://www.4coffshore.com/offshorewind.



b/ Persons contacted:

− Ms Ainhoa Pérez Puyol, Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs;

− Mr Alain Jeudy de Grissac, IUCN;

− Mr Andres Alcantara, IUCN;

− Ms Ana Lloret Capote, CEDEX;

− Ms Ana Pello, Consejeria de Medio Ambiente (egmasa);

− Mr Israel Sanchez, Regional Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture, Andalusia;

− Mr Jorge Baro, Insituto Espanol de Oceanografia (Malaga);

− Mr Jose Luis Buceta Miller, Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs;

− Mr Juan Luis Suárez de Vivero, University of Seville;

− Mr Julio de la Rosa, Consejeria de Medio Ambiente (egmasa);

− Mr Miguel Aymerich, Ministry of the Environment and Rural and Marine Affairs;

− Ms Pilar Marin, TRAGSA;

Spanish authorities have provided feedback on a draft version of the country report.

country reports - european commission · this country report provides a comprehensive overview and...

Documents