Eligibility criteria

To be eligible for inclusion in the SPAMI list, an area must meet at least one of the general criteria set out in Article 8.2 of the Protocol. Many of these general criteria may in some cases be met by the same area and such a situation can only support the proposed listing of the area.

Regional value is a basic condition for an area to be included in the SPAMI list. The following criteria should be used to assess the Mediterranean interest of an area:

• Uniqueness : The area contains rare or unique ecosystems, or rare or endemic species.
• Natural Representativeness : The area contains ecological processes, or types of community or habitat, or other particularly representative natural features. Representativeness is the degree to which an area represents a habitat type, ecological process, biological community, physiographic aspect or other natural characteristic.
• Diversity : The area has a wide diversity of species, communities, habitats or ecosystems.
• Naturalness : The area retains its natural character to a great extent due to the absence or limited degree of degradation and disturbance resulting from human activities.
• Presence of habitats of crucial importance for endangered, threatened or endemic species.
• Cultural representativeness : The area has a high representative value with regard to cultural heritage, through the existence of traditional activities that respect the environment and are integrated with the natural environment and contribute to the well-being of local people.

To be included on the SPAMI list, an area of scientific, educational or aesthetic interest must, be of particular value for research in the natural sciences or for environmental education or awareness activities or contain natural features, or exceptional landscapes or submarines.

The following sites may be included on the SPAMI list:

• Of importance for the conservation of the components of biological diversity in the Mediterranean,
• Containing ecosystems specific to the Mediterranean region or habitats of endangered species,
• Of particular scientific, aesthetic, cultural or educational interest.

In addition to these criteria, a number of characteristics and factors are also considered favorable to listing an area, such as:

• The existence of threats likely to impair the ecological, biological, aesthetic or cultural value of the area
• The involvement and active participation of the public in a broad sense, and in particular of local authorities in the planning and management process of the area
• The existence of a council representative of the public, professional, associative and scientific sectors concerned by the area
• The existence in the area of sustainable development opportunities
• The existence of an integrated coastal management plan taking into account the protection of ecological and landscape areas and the rational use of natural resources.

All areas eligible for inclusion in the SPAMI List must be awarded a legal status guaranteeing their effective long-term protection.

To be included in the SPAMI List, an area situated in a zone already delimited over which a Party exercises sovereignty or jurisdiction must have a protected status recognized by the Party concerned.

In the case of areas situated, partly or wholly, on the high sea or in a zone where the limits of national sovereignty or jurisdiction have not yet been defined, the legal status, the management plan, the applicable measures and the other elements provided for in Article 9, paragraph 3, of the Protocol (geographic location, physical and ecological characteristics, implementing the management plan means, a statement justifying the Mediterranean importance of the area, and other sections of the site presentation report) will be provided by the neighboring Parties concerned in the proposal for inclusion in the SPAMI List.