The 1978 Barcelona Convention, ratified by law no. 30, relating to the protection of the Mediterranean Sea from pollution, in 1995 expanded its geographical scope becoming "Convention for the protection of the marine environment and the coastal region of the Mediterranean", whose basin, due to the richness of species, populations and landscapes, represents one of the richest sites in biodiversity in the world.

With the Protocol relating to Specially Protected Areas and Biodiversity in the Mediterranean of 1995 (SPA Protocol) the Contracting Parties envisaged, in order to promote cooperation in the management and conservation of natural areas, as well as in the protection of threatened species and their habitats , the establishment of Special Protected Areas of Mediterranean Importance (SPAMI).