Background
The marine areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ), which comprise 64% of the oceans’ surface, contain ecosystems with marine resources and biodiversity of great ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural importance. The ecosystems in the ABNJ include the water column and seabed of the high seas, and are located far from coastal areas, making the sustainable management of fisheries and biodiversity conservation in these areas challenging.
Issues related to ABNJ have risen to the top of the global ocean agenda, and are being discussed at the highest governmental levels. There is widespread agreement on the need to improve conservation of marine ecosystems and sustainable use of resources in ABNJ at both global and regional levels.
In various ABNJ regions of the world, such as the Northeast Atlantic, the Sargasso Sea, the Indian Ocean, and the Pacific Islands, important initiatives are underway to adapt existing regional institutional processes to move toward ecosystem-based management of ABNJ and to implement tools such as multiple-use area-based management and environmental impact assessment.
The Workshop on Linking Global and Regional Levels in the Management of Marine Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, 17–20 February 2015, FAO, Rome, Italy was organized to foster an open and constructive policy dialogue for supporting national, regional, and global processes in place (formal and informal) in enhancing ecosystem approaches to the management of ABNJ.
Participants and Purpose
The workshop brought together representatives from all sectors with expertise, knowledge and experience in ABNJ issues, including: global, regional, and national decisionmakers; representatives from industries operating in ABNJ; UN delegates; intergovernmental organizations; non-governmental organizations; participants in the FAO/GEF Common Oceans Program (see http://www.commonoceans.org); policy experts; legal scholars; and academics, to:
• Assess knowledge, ongoing trends and efforts at national/regional and global levels, and available capacity relevant to sustainable management of fisheries and biodiversity conservation in ABNJ. Explore, in particular, the implications of these for the FAO/GEF Common Oceans Program;
• Foster cross-sectoral linkages for improved information-sharing on ABNJ across sectors, and between global and regional levels;
• Share and exchange lessons learned, best practices, and emerging trends in research, development, and management of ABNJ resources from various regions of the world;
• Provide a synthesis on the current state of knowledge on relevant global and regional policy processes that could be used to: 1) address areas of uncertainty due to a weak knowledge base on fisheries and biodiversity; and 2) improve sustainable use of fishery resources and conservation of biodiversity in the ABNJ.
Organizers
The workshop was organized by the Global Ocean Forum and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the project partners of the Global Environment Facility/Food and Agriculture Organization/Global Ocean Forum Project on Strengthening Capacity to Effectively Manage ABNJ as part of the GEF/FAO Program on Global Sustainable Fisheries Management and Biodiversity Conservation in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (“Common Oceans,” http://www.commonoceans.org).
Presentations
Wednesday, 18 February 2015
Session 1. Opening Session: Importance of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ)
Welcome to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations: The Importance of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ) – Maria-Helena Semedo, Deputy Director-General, FAO
Vision of the Global Environment Facility for Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction – Nicole Glineur, Program Manager, Natural Resources and Private Sector, Global Environment Facility
The Importance of Protecting Biodiversity in ABNJ – Statement by Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity, as read by David Cooper, Director of Scientific Assessment and Monitoring Division, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat
The Common Oceans Programme – Jeremy Turner, FishCode and Common Oceans Programme Manager, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department, FAO
Session 2. Setting the Stage: Major Uses and Issues in ABNJ
Achieving Sustainable Fisheries in ABNJ
Overview of Fisheries Issues in ABNJ – Jessica Sanders, Fisheries Officer, FAO
Perspectives of RFMOS on ABNJ – Jean-Francois Pulvenis, Senior Policy Advisor, Inter-American Tropical Tuna Commission
Ecosystem Approaches to Fisheries in ABNJ: How Far Have We Come? Serge Garcia, Chair, Fisheries Expert Group, IUNC Commission on Ecosystem Management
A Snapshot of Threats to ABNJ Fisheries – Frank Chopin, Chief, Fishing Operations and Technology, FAO
Marine Biodiversity and Marine Biotechnology Issues and Challenges – Marjo Vierros, United Nations University
The Future of Deep Sea Mining – David Johnson, Director, Seascape Consultants Ltd, EU MIDAS Project
Shipping: The Lifeblood of World Trade – Fredrik Haag, Technical Officer, Marine Environment Division, International Maritime Organization
Climate and Biodiversity Issues – Roberto Danovaro, Polytechnic University of Marche, Italy
Session 3: The Imperative of Capacity Development in ABNJ
Assessment of Capacity Needs in ABNJ and the ABNJ Regional Leaders Program – Miriam Balgos, Biliana Cicin-Sain, and Erica Wales, Global Ocean Forum and University of Delaware
Capacity Development Tools for Multiple-Use Area-Planning and Their Potential Use in ABNJ – Jaqueline Alder, formerly Coordinator, Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Branch, UNEP
Capacity Development in Support of Biodiversity Target 11 – David Cooper, Director of Scientific Assessment and Monitoring Division and Aleke Stofen-O’Brien, Junior Professional Officer, CBD Secretariat
Capacity Development in the Management of Tuna Fisheries – Alejandro Anganuzzi, Coordinator, ABNJ Tuna Project, FAO
Capacity Development and the Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries in the ABNJ – Merete Tandstad, Lead Technical Officer, ABNJ Deep Seas Project
Public Awareness and Capacity Issues in ABNJ – Tina Farmer, Lead Technical Officer, ABNJ Capacity Development Project, FAO
Public Awareness and Capacity Issues in ABNJ – Philippe Vallette, Director General, Nausicaa
Thursday, 19 February 2015
Session 4: Experiences, Priorities, and Opportunities in the South Atlantic and Indian Ocean
South Atlantic Region – Yacouba Cisse, Universite de Bouake, Cote d’lvoire, Abidjan Convention Committee on Science and Technology
South Atlantic Region – Ben van Zyl, South Atlantic Fisheries Organisation (SEAFO), Swakopmund, Namibia
Indian Ocean – Dixon Waruinge, Program Officer, Nairobi Convention Secretariat
Indian Ocean – Yugraj Singh Yadava, Director, Bay of Bengal Programme Inter-governmental Organization (BOBP-IGO)
Session 5: Experiences, Priorities, and Opportunities in the Pacific
Pacific Islands – Elizabeth Brierly, Senior Ocean Analyst, Office of the Pacific Ocean Commissioner/Pacific Island Forum Secretariat
Pacific Islands – Wesley Norris, Deputy Director-General, Pacific Islands Forum Fisheries Agency (FFA)
Southeast Pacific – Julio Augusto Reyna Moreno, Capitan de Navio, Secretary General, Comision Permanente del Pacific Sur (CPPS)
Discussion/Input from the Common Oceans program – Discussion leader: Blaise Kuemlangan, Chief, Development Law Service, FAO
Session 6: Experiences, Priorities, and Opportunities in the North Atlantic and Mediterranean
Atlantic – Stefan Asmundsson, Executive Secretary, North-East Atlantic Fisheries Commission (NEAFC)
Atlantic – Darius Campbell, Executive Secretary, OSPAR Commission
Atlantic – Fred Kingston, Executive Secretary, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO)
Atlantic – Christophe Lefebvre, Agence des Aires Marines Protegees
Sargasso Sea – David Freestone, Executive Secretary, Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO)
Mediterranean – Miguel Bernal, Fishery Resources Officer, General Fisheries Commision for the Mediterranean (GFCM)
Mediterranean – Daniel Cebrian, Strategic Actions Programme Officer, UNEP/Mediterranean Action Plan, Regional Activity Centre for Specially Protected Areas
Mediterranean – Francois Simard, Deputy Head, Senior Advisor for Fisheries, Global Marine Programme, IUNC
Mediterranean – Juan Suarez-de Vivero, Professor of Marine Geography, University of Sevilla
Discussion/Input from Common Oceans program – Discussion Leader: Merete Tandstad, Lead Technical Officer, ABNJ Deep Seas Project, FAO
Friday, 20 February 2015
Session 7: Break-Out Discussions on Advancing Regional Management of ABNJ
Guide to Discussion Groups – Marjo Vierros, Adjunct Senior Fellow, United Nations, University- Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability
Session 8: Learning Lessons, Charting Directions
Report from the Pacific Regional Breakout Group – David Sheppard, Secretary Director, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
Report from the North Atlantic and Mediterranean Breakout Group – David Johnson, Program Coordinator, Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative
Closing Remarks – Biliana Cicin-Sain, President, Global Ocean Forum and University of Delaware