Würtz, Maurizio

The conservation status of the toothed whales has worsened dramatically since 2001. Since then, more species have been listed in the IUCN Red List as Vulnerable and Nearly Threatended, while the Baiji river dolphin, which used to live in the Yangtze River, is now probably extinct. One major threat to toothed whales world wide is entanglement in fishing gear.

Although there is a common agreement on the importance of conservation of Mediterranean submarine canyons amongst international organizations, their governance is complex: the canyons' extension covers waters and seabeds under various types of jurisdictions (territorial waters, Fisheries Protection Zone, Ecological Protection Zone, including delimitation issues).

The Mediterranean Sea is a highly variable and dynamic environment, with very high biologic diversity. However, human activities have a large impact on this environment and sometimes lead to permanent ecosystem shifts. A broad-based dynamic conservation approach is needed to preserve essential ecological processes and services, and to protect economic and cultural resources for future generations.