16th meeting of Barcelona Convention and its additional issues were organized between 3 and 5 November 2009 in Maracas, Morocco

Opening speeches were given by the committee president, UNEP authority and representatives of Morocco Energy, Mining, Water and Environment Ministry. Each issue was discussed one by one with the suggestions of international and national NGOs taken into consideration and the Maracas declaration was prepared. Establishing Marine Protected Areas, two for Italy and one for France and Morocco, and adding them to the list of Special Protected Area for Mediterranean (SPAMI) decisions were taken. During the second day of the meeting, Global Warming, the main issue of the conference, was discussed and representatives of Ministries explained the necessary steps and precautionary measures to prevent it. Moreover, Mediterranean Regional Environment Management will be developed through the strengthening of partnerships formed within the framework of the Mediterranean Action Plan. Institutions and all other stakeholders were encouraged to create synergies, avoid repeating mistakes and promote sustainability. would try to sustainable use the resources. During the meeting, some additional activities were established. Multiple side-events were organized, including the presentation of a project initiated with the leadership of RAC/SPA. The project was about the protection of marine areas outside the range of national waters and the need to form a comprehensive network of SPAMI’s. RAC/SPA encouraged the countries and NGOs on the establishment of new SPAMI.

TÜDAV, as the only accredited national NGO at the meeting, evaluated and followed the decisions concerning the environment and natural resources.