“The Mediterranean is in state of high risk”, stated WWF director for the Mediterranean Paolo Lombardi to Athens-Macedonian News Agency adding that “the region has turned into a hot spot of climate change”.

Provided that only 6 pct of the Mediterranean Sea is protected and only 1 percent is totally protected, Lombardi sounds the alarm bell in relation with the new environmental challenges of the area and the need for effective implementation of the environment legislation.

Lombardi said that the international legislation is covered by the Barcelona Convention and its protocols and is very comprehensive; however, there more to be done at the level of implementation as the pressure, the environmental challenges and the consequences from the climate change make the area very fragile.

Particularly for EU’s countries of the Mediterranean, Lombardi said that the European law is very strict and important step are made by all the state-members. “the problem of law implementation is still very big” he said as many of the activities held in the Mediterranean as hydrocarbons research, tourist activities, aquaculture and navigation are new environmental challenges which are most of them totally against the preservation of the environment and must stop immediately”.

“The Mediterranean is changing, it gets warmer year after year and in parallel the sea level is rising. The governments, the enterprises and the society of the citizens are called to assume initiatives to reverse the negative climate” stated the WWF director.

He made as special reference to the Agenda 2030 and the targets for sustainable growth adopted by the UN according to which a serious framework is created in order the “economy growth to be combined with the environmental protection”.

Concluding he said that even if steps forward have been made” there are still many to be done for the Mediterranean in order to deliver to our descendants a healthy environment and as a sea of prosperity”.