The Study Sites

A number of sites were identified in the southern Mediterranean coast:
- Restinga-Smir, Mediterranean coast of Morocco,
- sandy beaches in the Maltese Islands,
- Kneiss Islands in the Gulf of Gabès and Zouarâa-Nefza  beach and dunes in Tunisia.

Comparative  research was carried out in sand beaches in Italy, Portugal and Great Britain.

The sites, representative of the diversity found in the region, share a number of common issues, namely:

a) intense and ever increasing human pressure,

b) degradation of water quality due to an increase in sewage and waste waters,

c) loss of important habitats, thus endangering numerous species of regional interest,

d) coastal erosion,

e) need for sustainable uses.