The Mediterranean Islands Sustainability Iso-Based Action Plan ‘‘2006-2015’’
The main objective of the project is to assist MED-ISOLAE islands to improve their environment and maintain sustainability via: (1) Environmental ISO procedures, (2) Environmental SDI (spatial data infrastructure) technology, (3) ISO & SDI pilot applications, and (4) A dissemination plan that includes a Portal and an ISO Topic Centre. Promoting a sounder & more sustainable evolution (environmental, social, economic & administrative) for Med-Islands is of paramount importance to EU. This requires adoption of island-specific development strategies which: • Take more fully into account interests of all stakeholders concerned • Are based on a larger & more diversified palette of economic, social & administrative opportunities • Do not exceed carrying capacity of environment. The project is based on the premises that there are no true methodologies on how to achieve sustainability and the related actions for sustainability. The current state-of-approach is to keep the actions in balance via “standardized” procedures and methods whilst safeguard optimal endeavours and policies or actions taken (e.g., waste management, tourism satisfaction). These actions, aught to be based on «standardised» procedures in order to become effective. In addition ISO procedures aught to be supported by Spatial Database Infrastructures (SDI) upon which ISO procedures are based in order to be effective. Med-Isolae establishes EN ISO procedures related to an island’s sustainability sectors as: EN ISO 9001:2001, 22000:2001, 14001:2004, British BRC and HACCP. Next to it, MedIsolae employs the INSPIRE Directive and GIS standards for the SDI of the islands. By combining both, the standardised SDI technology and the environmental ISO standardisation, islands are equipped with the basic infrastructure aimed to meet sustainability in the future.