An international conservation project has brought together botanists and scientists from the Middle East and North Africa - Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Occupied Palestinian Territories, Syria and Tunisia - in an unprecedented bid to secure the future of the region´s wildlife.

More than 40 species of marine fish currently found in the Mediterranean could disappear in the next few years. According to a study for the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species^TM on the status of marine fish in the Mediterranean Sea, almost half of the species of sharks and rays (cartilaginous fish) and at least 12 species of bony fish are threatened with extinction due to overfishing, marine habitat degradation and pollution.

The conservation of seagrass, which makes the Mediterranean Sea such a rich enclave in biodiversity, is essential not only for the conservation of our beaches, but also for marine species conservation.

This initiative, which is coordinated by OESA Foundation, takes into account the different raised species and productive systems used, as well as the level of development of aquaculture in each Mediterranean country. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Spanish Marine Aquaculture Producers Association (APROMAR) have collaborated in this project. In the second phase, that begins this year, the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM/FAO) joins the project.

The IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (IUCN-Med) is calling for voluntary experts to submit their expression of interest to contribute to the Red List assessment of different taxonomic groups in the Mediterranean Region, taking also part in the IUCN project entitled Mediterranean Biodiversity Assessment Phase II Responding to major gaps in knowledge in the Mediterranean region.

Conservation of the Mediterranean requires a common approach from several sectors of the society. IUCN-Med, in order to achieve a better collaboration, has signed a several agreements with many important entities. These agreements refer to a wide variety of topics, such as the promotion of sustainable rural development, the ecological protection of the island of Formentera, as well as fishing or submarine orography, for example.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation (UICN-Med) receives one of the awards to the 10 best ideas to save nature.

As a platform for discussion and the identification of new projects and initiatives, IUCN-Med encourages you to visit our wiki new site on Internet to interact with us and our networks.

You will find there pictures, the words expressed by some of you that attended the IUCN Mediterranean Forum, and plenty of materials to remind us all about Mediterranean biodiversity and its importance for our wellbeing.

We encourage you to submit your own comments and documents, to create your own dialogue threads and help us implement the IUCN Mediterranean programme for sustaining a better use of our natural resources.

Welcome to Maher Mahjoub, who is joining the IUCN-Med office in July as the new IUCN North Africa Programme Officer.

New people in the office include also the following collaborators: Manuel Argamasilla in the Ecosystem Programme; Luis Toscano García in the Marine Programme; Michela Conigliaro and Lucía Pérez Martínez in the Species Programme, and Álvaro González Montero in the Communications department.

Our gratitude and best wishes to David Rodríguez, who has been assisting the Mediterranean Marine Programme seconded from CSIC, and Jesús Peña Moya in Institutional Affairs, from the UNESCO Chair of Communications at the Malaga University.