Biodiversity and Natural Resources Management

Natural resources degradation in the Mediterranean Basin has been attributed to a combination of demographic pressure, rapid urbanization, uncontrolled pollution, and a lack of sustainable regional ecosystems management policies. MCSDP believes that conservation and the restoration of natural resources should be based on a new forward thinking approach in which long-term economic prosperity and social equity are interwoven and compatible with the conservation and restoration of natural resources on which lives and livelihoods depend.

While eco-efficiency and competitiveness are certainly of importance, local level concerns should be voiced and heard in the decision making process in order to reflect and respect environmental, socio-cultural, and economic diversity. Resource loss and ecosystem degradation can best be halted when shortsighted economic gain and lack of awareness are replaced by appropriate sustainable policies that properly value the true socio-economic value of natural resources. The careful planning and management of all sectoral activities simultaneously, rather than individually, would result in greater integration and overall benefits to the stakeholders and the natural resource base.

MCSDP assists decision-makers at the local, municipal, national, and regional levels to design sustainable development programs and projects whose long-term economic prosperity and social well being are intertwined with the conservation and restoration of the ecosystems.

Areas of Intervention

  • Desert Oases Ecosystems Conservation and Development
  • Integrated Coastal Zone Management
  • Integrated Rural Development
  • Land Use Planning
  • Water Resources Rehabilitation and Management
  • Eco-Tourism and Sustainable Tourism Development
  • Local Green Plans Development
  • Biodiversity Policy Formulation
  • Integrated Pollution Prevention Strategies
  • Integrated Pest Management and Insectories
  • National Parks and Recreation Areas Development and Management