For the first time ever, countries around the Mediterranean are organizing a series of events to celebrate "Coast Day," an awareness raising campaign organized by UNEP/MAP in co-operation with EU and the World Bank. "Coast Day" aims to raise awareness of the value of the coast, as well as of the threats to it, and to call for a stronger and more efficient commitment of the governments to coastal management.The campaign is launched by the Priority Actions Programme Regional Activity Centre (PAP/RAC) of the Mediterranean Action Plan (MAP), part of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in collaboration with partners from different Mediterranean countries. According to the organizers, political will for a stronger commitment to integrated coastal zone management and behavioural changes on the part of all stakeholders in the coastal areas are the essential prerequisites for sustainable coastal development. A special website has been created to mark the day - www.coastday.org Countries and NGOs around the Mediterranean are celebrating "Coast Day" through conferences, workshops, clean-ups and educational events and more. Israel is marking the occasion through a series of clean-up and information campaigns, both along the Mediterranean's open coasts and underwater, with the participation of youngsters and adults representing every sector of the population. During the week of October 22 - 26, 2007, numerous coastal and underwater cleanups are taking place in Israel, with the participation of schoolchildren, soldiers, members of youth groups, NGOs, divers and volunteers from the general public. Events in Israel are organized in conjunction with Clean Up the World Day which was celebrated in Israel on October 22, 2007 and within the framework of the Clean Coast Project of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and the Nature and Parks Authority. More on the Clean Coast Project Israel's coastline spans some 185 km along the Mediterranean and 14 km along the Gulf of Eilat. Of these, some 150 km are undeclared coasts (without lifeguard facilities), rich in flora and fauna, and constituting a cultural, economic and environmental resource. Most of these open, undeclared beaches are plagued by neglect and by the accumulation of litter, which are associated with aesthetic, health and safety nuisances both to the public and to marine and coastal fauna. Some of the litter is left behind by irresponsible members of the public while some originates in the sea in neighboring countries. The Clean Coast Project calls on local authorities to take responsibility for the coasts within their jurisdiction and invites the general public to fulfill its moral duty and to take part in cleaning up these coasts and contributing to their maintenance and the preservation of their ecosystems and species. The three-year Clean Coast Project was launched in June 2005, and the results are measured every two weeks by means of a Clean Coast Index. Results have shown major improvement in coastal cleanliness throughout the country.
More Links:
|
|
