COP22 kicks off in Turkish resort city Antalya

By Ayse Yildiz and Yasemin Kalyoncuoglu

ANTALYA (AA) - The 22nd Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Barcelona Convention and its Protocols, also known as COP22, kicked off in Turkey's resort city of Antalya on Tuesday.

Speaking via video conferencing, Carlo Zaghi, the head of the platform, mentioned the effects of climate change on the loss of biodiversity in seas and the ecosystem.

Underlining that the Mediterranean region is at risk, he said pollution caused by the maritime and tourism sector has a significant impact in this regard.

Environment ministers and delegates from 21 Mediterranean countries, as well as EU and UN representatives are attending the conference held every two years.

The location of this year's event, which will end on Friday, was determined during the COP21 meetings in Naples, Italy in 2019.

The Barcelona Convention and its Protocols constitute a multilateral legal framework for the protection of the marine and coastal environment, and sustainable use of resources in the Mediterranean.

The Mediterranean Action Plan of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP/MAP) is a regional cooperation platform established as the first regional action plan under the UNEP Regional Seas Program.

Although the Mediterranean covers just 1% of the global ocean surface, it is home to more than 17,000 marine species, corresponding to somewhat between 4% and 18% of the world's known marine species.

In 1975, 16 Mediterranean countries and the European Community adopted MAP, and Turkey became a party to the convention in 1982.

- COP 22 Logo

The COP 22 logo features the loggerhead turtle Caretta Caretta, an iconic symbol of biological diversity in the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean loggerhead turtles are affected by marine litter and warming air and seawater. Their plight encapsulates the stark threats posed in the region by the triple crisis of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss.

It can be found throughout the basin, but nesting is concentrated in the Eastern Mediterranean, including in sites located in Antalya, the host city.