ALBERT

Description: Este informe se ha elaborado en el marco del proyecto STRONG High Seas, basándose en una serie de encuestas a las partes interesadas, en la opinión de expertos y estudios bibliográficos, así como en la experiencia adquirida en varios talleres celebrados en la región del Pacífico Sudeste. El informe fue revisado por expertos para validar las conclusiones y garantizar un contenido sólido. Este informe forma parte de una serie de trabajos que abarcan cuestiones de gobernanza de los océanos, centrándose en las ABNJ de las regiones del Pacífico Sudeste y del Atlántico Sudeste, y se basa en informes anteriores publicados por el proyecto STRONG High Seas. Otros informes del proyecto abarcan el marco jurídico e institucional aplicable a las ABNJ, el estado ecológico y la importancia socioeconómica de las ABNJ en las regiones de interés, las distintas opciones en cuanto a medidas de gestión y conservación para la conservación de la biodiversidad marina en las ABNJ y las consideraciones para la gestión integrada de los océanos. Estos informes están disponibles en el sitio web del proyecto STRONG High Seas. Tras este capítulo introductorio, el capítulo 2 ofrece el contexto pertinente en relación con la gobernanza de los océanos en las zonas que se encuentran fuera de la jurisdicción nacional, las negociaciones en curso para alcanzar un nuevo acuerdo en el marco de la CONVEMAR y las necesidades y enfoques de desarrollo de capacidades relacionados. El capítulo 3 presenta un breve resumen de las encuestas realizadas por el proyecto STRONG High Seas en relación con las necesidades de capacidad en la región del Pacífico Sudeste y el capítulo 4 es un resumen de los correspondientes esfuerzos de desarrollo de capacidad llevados a cabo por parte del proyecto STRONG High Seas. El capítulo 5 ofrece reflexiones y recomendaciones para futuras actividades de desarrollo de capacidades más allá del ámbito del proyecto y destaca las lecciones aprendidas a lo largo de los cinco años de este proyecto. En los Anexos se ofrece información adicional sobre los antecedentes.

Description: Three major global processes in ocean governance under the umbrella of the United Nations are currently underway: negotiations for an international legally binding agreement under the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ); the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets adopted in 2010 as part of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 are coming to an end and new and updated biodiversity targets will be adopted as part of the Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework in 2020; and many of the targets set under the Sustainable Development Goal 14 (SDG 14) as part of the ocean United Nations 2030 Agenda, which includes focuses on 17 Sustainable Development Goals, to holistically address current global challenges are set to expire and are expected to be updated or renewed. This Chapter highlights the need to ensure coherence across these global processes for marine conservation and provides ways in which ocean governance can be strengthened to support global processes and marine conservation goals.

Description: This report was prepared as part of the STRONG High Seas project, based on a series of stakeholder surveys and experience gathered through various workshops held in the Southeast Pacific region, as well as on literature surveys and expert opinion. The report was reviewed by experts to validate findings and ensure robust content. This report is part of a series of reports covering issues of ocean governance with a focus on the ABNJ of the Southeast Pacific and the Southeast Atlantic regions and builds on previous reports published by the STRONG High Seas project. Further project reports cover the legal and institutional framework applicable to ABNJ, the ecological state and the socioeconomic importance of ABNJ in the project regions, options for management and conservation measures for conservation of marine biodiversity in ABNJ, and considerations for integrated ocean management. These reports are available through the STRONG High Seas project website. Following this introductory chapter, Chapter 2 provides relevant context with regards to ocean governance in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the ongoing negotiations towards a new agreement under UNCLOS and related capacity development needs and approaches. Chapter 3 presents a short summary of the surveys undertaken by the STRONG High Seas project with regards to capacity needs in the Southeast Pacific region and Chapter 4 is a summary of the corresponding capacity development efforts undertaken as part of the STRONG High Seas project. Chapter 5 provides reflections and recommendations for future capacity development activities beyond the scope of the project and highlights lessons learned through the five years of this project. Additional background information is provided in the Annexes.

Description: This report explores the challenges of address-ing emerging activities in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) through a case study – a hy-pothetical proposal to develop commercial fish-eries in the mesopelagic zone. The case study considers how such a proposal might be ad-dressed by existing global and regional bodies and processes and the potential future role of the BBNJ Agreement.

Description: In search for sustainability of the oceans, the concept of resilience arises as a necessary perspective from which to analyse what course of action to take. Resilience refers to the capacity of a system to absorb change, but also to adapt and develop in face of those changes. Resilience thinking has recently permeated the sphere of legal studies, and the two fields have been interested in exploring the impact they have on one another. To explore this interaction further in the context of the management of the oceans, the present paper looks at areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) as a socio-ecological system. It argues that the law can be a tool for improving the resilience of a system, but that it must, for that purpose, be able to ensure at least some adaptive capacity. In light of the upcoming, consolidated regime for the sustainable management of biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ) through the development of an internationally legally binding agreement on the topic, and considering the uncertainty surrounding our knowledge of ABNJ, this paper suggests to look at the BBNJ agreement from the perspective of resilience thinking. The paper explores how this perspective could bring new insights to the development of the BBNJ agreement, as well as the emerging literature linking law and resilience.

Description: Ce résumé destiné aux décideurs se fonde sur le rapport ‘Strengthening Regional Ocean Governance for the High Seas: Opportunities and Challenges to Improve the Legal and Institutional Framework of the Southeast Atlantic and Southeast Pacific’. Il s’adresse aux responsables politiques et décideurs ainsi qu’à tous ceux travaillant sur les questions relatives à la gouvernance des océans, en particulier dans les régions de l’Atlantique du Sud-Est et du Pacifique du Sud-Est. Ce rapport a été élaboré dans le cadre du projet Strengthening Regional Ocean Governance for the High Seas (‘STRONG High Seas’) et s’appuie sur des études antérieures, en particulier en ce qui concerne le Pacifique du Sud-Est. Il a pour but de passer en revue les cadres de gouvernance pertinents actuellement en place pour la gestion de la biodiversité de la haute mer dans ces régions. Le rapport utilise les questions à l’étude dans le cadre des négociations en cours pour un nouvel instrument juridiquement contraignant sur la conservation et l’utilisation durable de la BZAJN, ainsi qu’une sélection de cibles de l’Objectif de développement durable 14 (ODD 14), comme un prisme au travers duquel évaluer les cadres légaux et institutionnels des deux régions focales ainsi que les progrès en direction de la conservation et de l’utilisation durable.

Description: This policy brief demonstrates that there is both a need and opportunity to increase the interplay between the regional and global levels of ocean governance through a new global agreement for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Particularly, this policy brief aims to highlight the role and contribution of regional and sectoral governance in developing and underpinning the implementation of a strong high seas agreement. Regional efforts offer lessons learned, platforms for scientific data and knowledge exchange, mechanisms for convening states and stakeholders and coordinating regional approaches and measures for management. This policy brief identifies opportunities for how the coordination, cooperation and action between these two levels can be increased in view of an effective international legally binding agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

Description: Cette note d'information montre qu'il est à la fois nécessaire et possible d'accroître l'interaction entre les niveaux régional et mondial de la gouvernance des océans par le biais d'un nouvel accord mondial pour la conservation et l'utilisation durable de la biodiversité marine dans les zones situées au-delà de la juridiction nationale (BZAJN). Cette note vise en particulier à mettre en évidence le rôle et la contribution de la gouvernance régionale et sectorielle dans l'élaboration et la mise en oeuvre d'un accord efficace sur la haute mer. Les efforts régionaux offrent des enseignements, des plateformes d'échange de données et de connaissances scientifiques, des mécanismes pour réunir les États et les parties prenantes et de coordonner les approches et les mesures régionales de gestion. Cette note d'information identifie les possibilités d'accroître la coordination, la coopération et l'action entre ces deux niveaux en vue d'un accord international juridiquement contraignant efficace dans le cadre de la Convention des Nations unies sur le droit de la mer (CNUDM).

Description: The ocean plays a key role in sustaining life on our planet and is inextricably linked to biodiversity, climate, human well-being, and health. However, the governance of the ocean is primarily pursued through sectoral-based legal and institutional frameworks that falls short in ensuring the long-term protection of the marine environment and the sustainability of marine resources. This is especially concerning in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (ABNJ) where human activities continue to expand. The existence of two distinct regimes in ABNJ, namely the High Seas (applicable to the water column, which is a global common) and the Area (applicable to the international seabed and its mineral resources, which are the common heritage of mankind), that have been largely regulated separately, impede the development and implementation of integrated marine environmental governance and biodiversity conservation in ABNJ. On the one hand, the International Seabed Authority (ISA), which is mandated to administer the mineral resources of the Area, is currently discussing a set of regulations to enable future exploitation activities. On the other hand, multilateral negotiations are taking place for the development of an internationally legally binding instrument for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (referred to as the proposed ‘BBNJ’ Instrument). Both processes offer a unique opportunity to foster an ecosystem approach to management (EAM) in ABNJ. In this article, we elaborate on options for stronger governance integration and the development of a coherent and collaborative interplay between these two processes. To this end, we explore the potential of Regional Environmental Management Plans (REMPs) established by the ISA as a case study to contribute to global biodiversity conservation, and the opportunity for the proposed BBNJ Instrument to promote overarching coherence to biodiversity conservation in ABNJ, premised on EAM. We conclude that the proposed BBNJ Instrument could have a pivotal role to streamline multilateral action for the conservation of biodiversity in ABNJ by adopting an ambitious, overarching environmental vision and strategic goals, accompanied by strong implementation and enforcement mechanisms.

Description: sdg 14 focuses on human interactions withthe ocean, seas and marine resources.It is underpinned by targets addressingconservation and sustainable use of theocean, seas and marine resources includingcoastal zones, and targets referring tocapacity building and ocean governance.Oceans cover more than 70% of the planet’ssurface and play a crucial role in planetaryresilience and the provision of vitalecosystem services. The status of the oceanand several of its resources and functionshave been deteriorating over the pastcentury. Oceans, seas and coastal zones aresubject to pollution, overexploitation andclimate change impacts such as warming,coastal erosion, sea-level rise, oceanacidification and deoxygenation. Severalcoastal regimes are under noticeablestress, compromising the services theyprovide. sdg 14 and its seven targets andthree means of implementation are aimedat an urgent need to transform humanbehaviour toward sustainable practiceswhen exploiting marine resources, andto taking action to preserve productiveand resilient oceans and seas. The seventargets largely reflect commitments underother international frameworks such asthe commitment to maintain or restorefish stocks to levels that can producemaximum sustainable yields (made in2002 under the Johannesburg Plan) or thecommitment to conserve at least 10% ofmarine and coastal areas (provided underthe cbd Aichi Target 11). However, the 2030Agenda for Sustainable Development putsuse and conservation of the ocean and itsresources, including coastal areas, into thewider sustainable development context forthe first time. The ocean space in generaland sdg 14 in particular have a cross-INTRODUCTIONcutting role in the 2030 Agenda, and sdg 14interacts with all 16 other sdgs. The natureand intensity of these interactions is highlycontext-specific and differs across the sdgsand their associated targets.The text that follows provides anoverview of interactions at the goal levelbetween sdg14 – the ‘entry level goal’ forthis assessment – and the other 16 sdgs.Taking into account all the underlyingtargets of this entry goal, a set of keyinteractions is identified between thesdg14 targets and those of other sdgs,principally interactions within the rangeof the highest magnitude or strongestimpacts based on available scientificliterature and expert knowledge. Thetypology and seven-point scale forcharacterising the range of positive andnegative interactions described in theopening chapter to this report is used toassess the selected target-level interactionsand the context in which they typicallyoccur. Illustrative examples from differentworld regions show how these linkagesmanifest themselves in practice. Policyoptions are identified for how to maximisepositive interactions and minimisenegative interactions between now and2030, and beyond. The chapter concludeswith a list of key knowledge gaps relatedto the interactions studied.