ALBERT

Description: Ce rapport a été préparé dans le cadre du projet STRONG High Seas, à partir d’une série d’enquêtes menées auprès des parties prenantes et de l’expérience tirée de divers ateliers organisés dans la région de l’Atlantique du Sud-Est, ainsi que d’études documentaires et d’avis d’experts. Le rapport a été revu par plusieurs experts dans le but de valider les résultats et de garantir la rigueur du contenu. Ce document s’inscrit dans une série de rapports couvrant les questions de gouvernance des océans en mettant l’accent sur les ZAJN du Pacifique du Sud-Est et de l’Atlantique du SudEst et s’appuie sur les rapports précédents publiés par le projet STRONG High Seas. Les autres rapports du projet portent sur le cadre juridique et institutionnel applicable aux ZAJN, l’état écologique et l’importance socio-économique des ZAJN dans les régions du projet, les options de gestion et les mesures de conservation de la biodiversité marine dans les ZAJN, et les considérations relatives à la gestion intégrée des océans. Ces rapports sont disponibles sur le site web du projet STRONG High Seas.

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: From 7 to 18 March 2022, governments will continue negotiations on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction under the auspices of the United Nations. After a break of nearly two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, a binding UN instrument should be ready this year.

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 is intended to provide a review of the relevant governance frameworks currently in place for the management of high seas biodiversity in these regions. The report uses the issues under discussion in the ongoing negotiations for a new legally binding BBNJ agreement under the United Nations, as well as selected Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 targets, as a lens through which to assess progress towards conservation and sustainable use.

Description: Connectivity is essential to consider in area-based marine conservation measures because it greatly impacts vital ecological processes (e.g., recycling nutrients, regulating temperature, sequestering carbon, and supporting the life cycle of species). However, it is generally not well studied or integrated into conservation measures, particularly in the Southeast Pacific. This region is home to the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges, two adjacent seamount chains that stretch between the Peruvian coast and Rapa Nui (i.e., Easter Island). The area has been recognized for its exceptional natural and cultural significance as well as one of the most important global areas to protect. However, over 73% of the ridges are in areas beyond national jurisdiction, where they are unprotected and under threat. This study provides a synthesis of what we know about connectivity in the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges and provides practical recommendations for integrating this knowledge into conservation and management measures for the region. While data on connectivity is still limited, it should not constrain the development of conservation measures, which should be co-designed and co-developed, leveraging the expertise of international working groups throughout the region. Due to their high rates of endemism, as well as importance as migratory corridors, enacting large-scale conservation measures would address important conservation considerations for both connectivity and endemism. Enacting such large-scale conservation measures would not only elevate the Salas y Gómez and Nazca ridges as an exemplary case study, providing lessons for other marine regions seeking to implement similar measures, but could also help raise awareness on the severity of externally originating threats like climate change and plastic pollution to global audiences.

Description: Measures to support conservation efforts must put the protection of biodiversity and/or ecological integrity as the primary objective and consider cumulative pressures on the marine environment. This also means including ecological connectivity (e.g., migratory routes of marine species, transboundary impacts of human activities), and climate change impacts in their design and implementation. Moreover, the complexity and dynamic nature of the ocean, including in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), requires that conservation efforts acknowledge uncertainty, include options to address it or adapt swiftly to new scientific information, and consider the three-dimensional space of the ocean. This also requires that the best available interdisciplinary scientific and indigenous knowledge provide the basis for the design and implementation of such measures. It will be essential that measures to support conservation efforts apply mechanisms for cross-sectoral consultation, cooperation, and collaboration, as well as consider appropriate spatial and temporal scales for implementation. They must reflect broad societal goals and consider uneven distribution of socio-economic outcomes resulting from exploitative activities in ABNJ. Governance and management actions must recognise coupled and diverse social-ecological systems, and the interconnection between ocean health and human wellbeing, including diverse stakeholder considerations in the design and implementation of the measure or approach. It is essential that the design and implementation of measures to support conservation efforts include appropriate means to ensure the regular monitoring, control, and surveillance of human activities as well as the compliance and enforcement of the laws and regulations in place. States are familiar with legal instruments, such as those under the United Nation Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), International Maritime Organisation (IMO) conventions, International Seabed Authority (ISA), and management measures adopted by the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations (RFMOs). They have developed governance structures and capacity to support their implementation. The recommendation in this context would be for States to support the consolidation and further development of measures to support conservation efforts with the aim to ensure that they integrate their approach with considerations for ecological connectivity, biodiversity protection, ecosystem-based integrated ocean management and climate change implications for the conservation and management of biodiversity in ABNJ. To be effective, any measures to support conservation efforts proposed for ABNJ in the Southeast Atlantic region must consider the socio-economic and political realities of the countries whose Exclusive Economic Zones border these areas. In this sense, it is important to note the important role that the fishing sector has historically played and continues to play for most economies of this region. The proposed Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Instrument in negotiation at the United Nations, will be fundamental for establishing the legal basis for developing and implementing cross-sectoral measures to support conservation efforts in ABNJ. The way in which the proposed BBNJ Instrument is integrated and how the link to existing conservation and sustainable use measures established under existing management organisations is made will determine the effectiveness of the possible measures to support current and future conservation efforts. In this regard, it is particularly important for the Southeast Atlantic region how existing RFMOs will be able to interact with the proposed BBNJ Instrument. Considering the capacity (technological, experience, financial, logistical) challenges of many of the countries in the Southeast Atlantic, it is important that measures to support conservation efforts under existing international treaties or legal mechanisms be integrated, practical, and cost-effective. The different legal status of the water column and the deep seabed beyond national jurisdiction and the different legal provisions in place represent a challenge for the development of a coherent, comprehensive, and integrated approach to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in ABNJ. Lack of uniformity in compliance among flag States and the lack of monitoring and enforcement mechanisms in ABNJ jeopardise the achievement of an integrated approach for conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in these vast areas of ocean. The wide array of existing instruments can be used to improve conservation of biodiversity in ABNJ through improved monitoring and enforced compliance. This remains the responsibility of individual flag States, but at present there is limited reporting of vessels and minimum follow up action by flag or port States.

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: Este resumen para los tomadores de decisiones se basa en el informe ‘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’. Está dirigido a los tomadores de decisiones, así como a otras personas que trabajan en cuestiones de gobernanza de los océanos, en particular en las regiones del Atlántico Sudeste y el Pacífico Sudeste. El informe se preparó como parte del proyecto Fortalecimiento de la gobernanza regional de los océanos en alta mar (‘STRONG High Seas’) y se basa en estudios anteriores, en particular en relación con el Pacífico Sudeste. El informe tiene por objeto proporcionar un examen de los marcos de gobernanza pertinentes actualmente en vigor para la gestión de la biodiversidad de la alta mar en esas regiones. El informe utiliza las cuestiones que se están debatiendo en las negociaciones en curso para un nuevo instrumento jurídicamente vinculante sobre la conservación y el uso sostenible de la BBNJ en el marco de las Naciones Unidas, así como determinadas metas del Objetivo de Desarrollo Sostenible 14 (ODS 14), como una lente a través de la cual se pueden evaluar los avances hacia la conservación y el uso sostenible.