Southern Adriatic Ionian Strait

Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Area

Why this site?

SAIS EBSA is currently working on its governance framework. The establishment of an organised and collaborative co-management table amongst the parties involved will facilitate the management of this transboundary area and improve collaboration for the implementation of protective measure and their enforcement.

This site will benefit from the lessons learned and the models created across BLUE CONNECT project sites and will serve as a demonstration site for upscaling these methods to a transboundary level.

Ecosystem characteristics

The area is located in the center of the southern part of the Southern Adriatic basin and the northern Ionian Sea. It is characterized by steep slopes, high salinity and a maximum depth ranging between 200 m to 1500 m. Water exchange with the Mediterranean Sea takes place through the Otranto Channel, which has a sill that is 800 m deep.
 
This area contains important habitats for Cuvier’s bea ed whales (Ziphius cavirostris), an Annex II species of the Protocol concerning Specially Protected Areas and Biological Diversity in the Mediterranean (SPA/BD Protocol) in the framework of Barcelona Convention, and significant densities of other megafauna such as the giant devil ray (Mobula mobular), striped dolphin (Stenella coeruleoalba), Mediterranean monk seal (Monachus monachus) and loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta), all of which are listed in Annex II of SPA/BD Protocol.
 
Benthos includes deep-sea cold water coral communities and deep-sea sponge aggregations, representing important biodiversity reservoirs and contributing to the trophic recycling of organic matter. Tuna, swordfish and sharks are also common in this area.

Challenges

The challenges of this site lie mainly in the transboundary factor. The SAIS EBSA sits in fact between adriatic countries and the interests of each country may be very different. Therefore,

What will be demonstrated?

Upscaling of co-management methodologies to transboundary areas of environmental importance.

Activities to be
carried out

  • Stakeholder engagement
  • Co-managment practices

Contact person

Saba Başkır

WWF Mediterranean

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