Tourism and Environment in the Mediterranean The Mediterranean Countries as a whole account for one third of the world international tourism. In 1990, 72 million international tourists and 62 million domestic tourists visited the Mediterranean coastal region. Although the highest concentration has traditionally been on the northern shores, the trend is towards a more even distribution around the entire basin. At the same time, the Mediterranean Region -- characterised by its particular climate -- is considered as a terrestrial biodiversity "hotspot", this being defined as an area of exceptional endemism, having more than 1,500 vascular plants, and where over 70% of the natural habitat has been lost. In fact, the Mediterranean region largely meets these criteria, since it has about 13,000 endemic plants with only very little habitat left. Favourite tourist areas and biodiversity hotspots largely coincide in the Mediterranean coastal regions. This constitutes both an asset and a liability. The occupation of coastal areas by tourist infrastructures, including associated urbanisation, roads, marinas, golf courses, secondary homes, etc, leads to destruction of vulnerable terrestrial ecosystems and wetlands. Tourists demand water supply per capita at a higher rate than local inhabitants and at a time of water scarcity, in summer, thus leading to oversized facilities for both supply and treatment. Marine ecosystems suffer from water sports, anchoring, and waste disposal. Forest flies are multiplied by negligence and sometimes by criminal acts. These liabilities are however compensated by a major consideration, namely that all Mediterranean countries are heavily dependent on tourism to improve their balance of payments. Hence, the continued destruction of their coastal environments and natural amenities would jeopardise this much coveted tourism development. By 2025, in the case of a weak traditional development scenario, the number of domestic tourists in the Mediterranean region would reach 140 million and the number of international tourists 93 million, whereas in the case of a p and sustainable development scenario, these figures could reach 220 million and 143 million respectively. The challenge is to make such tourism development sustainable. In this respect, a greater attention to biodiversity can be most significant. More coastal ecosystems -- terrestrial and marine -- should be protected and existing protected areas should be strengthened. Management of these areas should include improved facilities for "interpretation" for visitors, including in marine, mountaineering and skiing resorts. More should be made of local biodiversity as a tourist attraction. Combination of cultural and natural elements, for instance in biosphere reserves, should be provided to tourists in the form of properly managed "ecotourism". Traditional agricultural products and crafts of quality should be promoted. If properly established the link between tourism and biodiversity in the Mediterranean constitutes a major asset for the region.
