MEDTRENDS PROJECT

The Mediterranean Sea is increasingly exploited by a range of maritime activities, all of which are predicted to expand substantially over the next 20 years: wind farms, oil extraction , cables, shipping routes, fisheries and other human activities including tourism.

There is:

• Increased demand for the limited space and marine resources.

• Increased conflict between maritime sectors.

• Increased conflict between human use and nature.

The MEDTRENDS project combines the collection and analysis of geo-localised socio-economic and environmental information on 10 key maritime sectors with a wider spatial analysis that helps identify interactions and conflicts between sector development and the protection of marine ecosystems. It investigates these interactions at the Mediterranean regional or sub-regional scales and more specifically at the level of the 8 EU Mediterranean countries (Croatia , Cyprus, Spain, France, Greece, Italy, Malta and Slovenia). Furthermore, it looks into today’s situation along with future developments up to 2030.

The MEDTRENDS project was implemented on the basis of a meaningful dialogue with national and supranational public institutions, through its Advisory Committees organised twice during the project. The results and recommendations of the MEDTRENDS project will be shared with stakeholders, policy makers and the general public through various communication tools (reports, summaries, online viewer), building in particular on the large set of regional and national maps developed by MEDTRENDS that facilitate the understanding of the main challenges faced by EU Mediterranean countries.