Tunis: Four agreements to provide financial support for initiatives aimed at preserving and restoring ecosystems of national and regional importance (Mediterranean) were signed on Wednesday in Tunis. Signatories were the Ministry of the Environment, the Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas and Marine Biodiversity of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Coastal Protection Agency (APAL) and associations working in the field of marine biodiversity. Tunisia has 3 Special Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs): the Zembra and Zembretta Islands National Park, the Kneiss Islands Archipelago and the Galite Archipelago of rocky islands of volcanic origin. The SPAMIs are sites of particular importance for the conservation of the biodiversity components of the Mediterranean Sea because they contain ecosystems specific to this sea and habitats associated with endangered species. The agreements were signed on the occasion of 'SPAMI Day,' a regional celebration of marine conservation and protected areas in the Mediterranean, launched by the Parties to the Barcelona Convention at their COP 22 (Antalya, Turkey, December 7-10 December 2021). It is officially celebrated on April 15 each year and involves all persons and entities concerned with the protection of marine life in the Mediterranean. The meeting on May 15 in Tunis, attended by representatives from seven Mediterranean countries, provided an opportunity to explore and discuss funding mechanisms for the conservation and sustainable management of Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs) and Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs) in Tunisia. The aim of the 'SPAMI Day' event is to promote the list of Specially Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMIs), i.e. exceptional marine areas managed in an exemplary manner, and to raise awareness of marine conservation in general. The theme of this year's event is "Effective Management of SPAMIs" and the aim is also to promote and encourage all i nitiatives within SPAMIs that contribute to the conservation and restoration of ecosystems and to living in harmony with nature. The UNEP/MAP Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas and Marine Biodiversity was established in 1985 under the Barcelona Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment and the Coastal Region of the Mediterranean. Its mission is to support the efforts of Mediterranean countries to conserve and sustainably manage threatened or endangered species and areas of particular natural or cultural value. Established in 2001 by the Parties to the Barcelona Convention, the SPAMI list currently includes 39 marine and coastal protected areas in the Mediterranean, including three in Tunisia. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse