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Tourism, overfishing, pollution & coastal development cited in wave of destruction Four recently released reports issued by the World Wide Fund for Nature urge governments and industry to take urgent action to protect the Mediterranean sea before it is too late to save already threatened and endangered species and habitats. WWF has made the reports available for download in the Monachus Library and one, The Mediterranean – Four Thorny Issues, is also published as this issue’s Cover Story. Several mystery seal sightings off Pensacola Beach, Florida, in 1995 have recently surfaced in a U.S. kayaking forum, again leading to speculation that the Caribbean monk seal (Monachus tropicalis) may not be extinct after all. In reporting his sighting, list member Bob Griebel stated: "In '95, my first vacation with kayak at Pensacola Beach, I came across a lone seal, close up and in clear view, each time I paddled over the first three days. I even watched one feeding in shallow water off the beach from the eighth floor balcony. It happened so regularly and in varying places separated by miles that my impression was ‘Wow, I didn't know there are THIS MANY seals in the Gulf!’ Choppy water as Hurricane Opal was brewing off Yucatan halted paddling and sightings the second half of that week. As noted in previous issues of TMG (see Has Anyone Seen a Caribbean Monk Seal?, Caribbean Monk Seals – Are they Extinct? and Caribbean X-Files) mysterious Caribbean seal sightings do not necessarily point to Monachus tropicalis. Indeed, extralimital records of other pinniped species – such as harp and hooded seals – have long muddied the Caribbean waters as researchers struggle to find any trace of tropicalis. In the case of the Pensicola Beach sightings, experts we consulted suggested various possibilities, including: a hooded seal pup... a wayward harp seal (less likely), a harbour seal or grey seal... or even an escaped fur seal or sea lion... Following two years of exhaustive research, an international effort to compile an electronic bibliography (see TMG 2:2, Letters) dedicated entirely to the Mediterranean monk seal, is at last taking shape. Comprehensive research in public libraries (Berlin, Bern, Guelph, Manchester, Thessaloniki, Zürich) and in private collections (e.g. the IMMA/Keith Ronald Library in Guelph and the MOm library in Athens and Alonissos), yielded more than 1300 references relating to Monachus monachus. While predominantly comprised of print media (journal articles, books, conference proceedings etc.) the bibliography also includes audiovisual material and Web-based information. The references cover a wide range of alphabetised monk seal topics, allowing electronic search by subject keywords. For more information on the monk seal bibliography and how you can help, contact: Alexandros Karamanlidis, c/o Dr. M. Jones, Department of Biological Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, Manchester M1 5GD, U.K. Or email: 00961865@mmu.ac.uk
WWF reports urge Mediterranean action
Another of the WWF reports, the Mediterranean Marine Gap Analysis, seeks to identify the most important unprotected coastal marine areas in the region – "gaps" that should be filled through the establishment of new reserves and management policies.
The report calls for the "protection and sustainable management" of at least 10% of marine and coastal areas of the region over the next 10 years. The study claims that 14% of the Mediterranean coast is already heavily damaged, and that some areas are so degraded that they can already be classified as "lost." They include the Italian Adriatic coast, the coast between Syria and the mouth of the Nile, the coast which links the mouth of the Rhône in France to Spain, and the Spanish coast from Barcelona to Valencia. The report also points out that currently less than one percent of the coastal Mediterranean sea is protected.
The study identifies overfishing, pollution, intensive agriculture and coastal tourism development as the main culprits in the degradation of the region. WWF believes that concerted action must be taken within the next 10 years if the Mediterranean’s unique cultural heritage – its remaining pristine landscapes and its endangered species – are to have any hope of survival.
The report’s recommendations include a ban on coastal trawling from a depth of 0-50 metres (where 80% of marine biodiversity is found), a ban on coastal construction in 13 of the most important areas identified in need of protection, and the consistent application of international pollution laws. Identified as being of particular importance to the monk seal are the Aegean and Turkey’s Cilician Basin, two areas where the WWF Mediterranean Programme (MedPO) have been active in funding conservation efforts.
Two other WWF reports have been issued under the Responsible Tourism in the Mediterranean banner, one focusing on tourism’s threats to the Mediterranean ecosystem and the industry’s so far largely unrealised opportunities to improve its own track record, and the other presenting WWF’s own proposed Code of Conduct for tourists, for Industry (tour-operators, hotels and airlines) and government.
Both of these reports (WWF MedPO. 2000. Responsible Tourism in the Mediterranean: Current Threats & Opportunities / Principles & codes of conduct) are available for download in the Monachus Library.
Those seeking further information on tourism’s impact upon the monk seal and its habitat should also check out:
Bacquet, Xavier Jacques. Tourism in the Dock. Letters to the Editor, The Monachus Guardian, this issue.
Kiraç, Cem O. & Harun Güçlüsoy. Küdür under renewed threat, The Monachus Guardian, this issue.
Merforth, Peter. Hikers and seals on Samos, The Monachus Guardian, this issue.
Aga Khan, Sadruddin. 1999. Guest Editorial: A little imagination. Why the billion dollar mass tourism industry should do something to save the Mediterranean monk seal. The Monachus Guardian 2(2): November 1999.
Johnson, William M. & David M. Lavigne. 1999. Mass tourism and the Mediterranean monk seal. The role of mass tourism in the decline and possible future extinction of Europe's most endangered marine mammal, Monachus monachus. Monachus Science. The Monachus Guardian 2(2): November 1999.
Johnson, William M. 1998. Monk seal myths in Sardinia. The Monachus Guardian 1(1): May 1998.
Savas, Yalcin. 1999. The Monachus Guardian 2(2): November 1999. How tourism has ruined the coastal habitats of the monk seal on the Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey.
Mystery Sightings in the Caribbean
Toward week's end, I stopped at the visitor center at Gulf Islands National Seashore to learn about seal species. The ranger said there are NO seals in the Gulf and tried to show me pictures of nutria [coypu], beaver, etc. READ MY LIPS, IT WAS A SEAL!!!!!
I've since learned that the last sighting of the extinct Caribbean monk seal in the Gulf happened in the 50s, I believe near Galveston. A monk seal professor at the University of Hawaii has asked several times whether I've learned anything more, but I haven't been back to Pensacola and I'm still waiting to find the next person who'll admit to seeing a seal in the Gulf…
So, I again pose the obligatory question: Are there any other crazies out there who think they've seen a seal in the Gulf?" – Bob Griebel
Bibliography sees light at tunnel’s end
During the current and final phase prior to publication, we intend to crosscheck entries for accuracy. Wherever possible, authors and/or organizations will be contacted to provide information on missing or erroneous references. – Project Coordinator, Alexandros Karamanlidis
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