Every five years, the Mediterranean Network of Marine Protected Area Managers (MedPAN) and the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas (SPA/RAC) carry out a review of the status of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) to assess the progress made since the first inventory was conducted in 2008. This work aims to address existing gaps, highlight success stories and provide key stakeholders with recommendations for achieving the objectives set for MPAs in the Mediterranean.
MEDPAN · SPA/RAC REPORT
The Status of Mediterranean Marine Protected Areas 2025
How close is the Mediterranean really to achieving the goal of protecting 30% of the seas by 2030? MedPAN and SPA/RAC take stock of marine protected areas across 21 countries and identify the gaps that must be closed by 2030.
Key figures
1,152
MPAs designated in the Mediterranean by the end of 2024
59
new MPAs since 2019
9%
de la Méditerranée sont couverts par des Aires Marines Protégées (une progression d’environ 0,6 point en 5 ans)
0,07%
of the Mediterranean fully protected (no access, no take, no fishing)
150 years
to reach 30×30 at the current pace
The report at a glance
Published by MedPAN and SPA/RAC, the Status of Mediterranean MPAs reviews the basin’s network of marine protected areas. The 2025 edition draws on the MAPAMED database and a survey of 263 MPAs.
The network keeps growing: 1,152 MPAs had been designated by the end of 2024, 59 of them created since 2019. But progress remains too slow to reach the 30% target by 2030, and only 0.07% of the Mediterranean is fully protected.
The report identifies five gaps to close: the pace of designation, strong protection, the geographical imbalance in coverage, management effectiveness, and ecological representativeness. On the ground, resources are not keeping up: 84% of the MPAs surveyed lack staff, and only 13% consider their budget sufficient.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Read the executive summary of the Status of Mediterranean MPAs 2025.
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