Regional Governance Mechanisms for the Marine Environment

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1 Regional Governance Mechanisms for the Marine Environment

2 International Governance System The IEG System is Fragmented, Complex, Under-financed & Inefficient as a result it s WEAK

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4 International Governance System One commentator likened it to a Crazy Quilt Pattern Patched together

5 Multilateral Environmental Agreements System Human Well- Being land degradation Climate change Stratospheric Ozone Persistent Organic Pollutants Oceans and Water degradation Changes in Biodiversity Local air pollution

6 Characteristics I. Capacity building and implementation Many commitments but very few implementation mechanisms No system-wide strategy Bali Strategic Plan on capacity building and technology transfer is not system-wide reinforced at regional and national level No anchor agency for environmental implementation Top 15 COPs tend to produce on average decisions a year -where is the implementation support?

7 Characteristics II. Compliance and enforcement Access and benefit sharing of global commons Adaptive national legislations (domestication of international agreements) Gap between policy commitments and access to financing

8 Characteristics III. Science deficiencies in the system Lack of coordination of Assessments There is no permanent Science-Policy Interface No permanent Scientific body despite a proliferation of Science Assessment Developing country scientists and scientific institutions are marginalized and require capacity

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11 International Ocean Governance Governance with respect to the oceans and their management is fragmented Hundreds of USD millions are invested annually by a multitude of stakeholders to improve ocean management and protection - these efforts remain fragmented and without a well articulated common set of goals. A globally coordinated effort is needed to help secure frameworks of good governance. Linking investments to sustainable management practices for marine resources.

12 Ocean Governance Systems United Nations Framework Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (UNEP) Regional Fishery Management Organisations (FAO) Large Marine Ecosystem Commissions (GEF IW) Geographical coverages, mandates, and approaches differ among these three.

13 Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (RSCAPs) are regional MEAs originally designed to protect the marine environment from land-based sources of pollution. Developed to bind contracting parties to achieve the common goal of sustainable use and maintain a healthy marine and coastal environment. Protocols - from MPAs, ICZM, oil spills prevention, LBS to work on EBM, monitoring, assessments and economic valuation of marine and coastal ecosystem services, amongst others. Today, 18 RSCAPs represent 143 countries around the world. Commonwealth countries are contracting parties to the Cartagena Conventions (Wider Caribbean Region), Nairobi Convention (Western Indian Ocean), Abidjan Convention (Western and Southern Africa), Noumea Convention (Pacific) and South Asia Seas Action Plan.

14 Regional Fishery Management Organisations Historically fishery issues were handled by Regional Fishery Bodies. There are 30 active RFBs. Seven of them have been established under the FAO Constitution, and FAO facilitated establishment of several of the other bodies and serves as depository for the instrument of acceptance of such bodies. Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries, Ecosystem Approach to Fisheries, Deep Sea fishery guidelines impacts of fisheries on marine and coastal ecosystems.

15 Large Marine Ecosystem Commissions Projects supported by Global Environment Facility (GEF) and NOAA. Adopts an ecosystem approach and application of ecosystem-based assessment and management in addressing the transbooundary concerns jointly identified by literal States. Depending on the initial transboundary, ecosystem-based diagnostic analysis, strategic action programmes of the LME projects includes addressing the issues that both RSCAPs and RFBs cover. 64 LMEs identified.

16 Regional Governance Challenges Uncoordinated efforts amongst agencies targeting different national focal points. General lack of compliance and enforcement of frameworks. Compatibility between regional commitments and national legislation. How to mainstream implementation mechanisms engagement across Ministries (Environment, Finance, Planning) Distribution of available financial resources Access to data and information.

17 Marine and Coastal Environment

18 Cross-sectorial Approach

19 Core elements of EBM 1. Recognizing connections within and across ecosystems 2. Utilizing an ecosystem services perspective 3. Addressing cumulative impacts 4. Managing for multiple objectives 5. Embracing change, learning and adapting

20 Ecosystem Services

21 Ecosystem services

22 Integrated Coastal Zone Management ICZM focuses on the land side of coastal zone, encompassing the coastal plain as well as nearshore marine environment

23 Marine Spatial Planning MSP cover the marine environment, either within a single jurisdiction or across many jurisdictions.

24 Watershed Management Extends through drainage basins. Focuses primarily on activities that affect water flows. Secondly on activities that affect water quality, including inputs of sediments and chemical contaminants.

25 Fisheries Management Focuses on commercially targeted fish stocks. Current efforts to move from single species to multi-species management Essential fish habitat protection

26 Marine Protected Areas MPAs can vary in scope from small notake zones targeting the water column to large MPAs that include vast areas of land and sea.

27 Ecosystem-based Management EBM can collectively cover all five main management strategies.

28 Incremental EBM

29 Take away messages United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20) unique opportunity. Opportunities presented by Green Economy and IFSD. Engagement on the Regular Process on assessment and monitoring of the marine environment including socio-economic aspects. (First Assessment Cycle ) Creating a Global Baseline Embrace cross-sectorial approaches holistic view provided by ecosystems EBM. At regional level engagement and strengthening of existing institutional and legal frameworks.

30 Contribution to address Regional Governance UNEP, in consultation with Global Environment Facility Secretariat (GEF), National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) of the United States of America, Institute of Marine Resources (IMR) of Norway and the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations (FAO). A Consultation Group (CG) will be formulated and comprised of UNEP, GEF, NOAA, IMR and FAO as well as one member from RSCAPs, RFBs and LME Governance mechanism.

31 Review items Compile the information primarily on institutional and legal frameworks to cover Regional Seas Conventions and Action Plans (including UNEP-administered and non-unep administered regional seas), Regional Fishery Bodies (including FAOadministered RFBs and non-fao RFBs) and Large Marine Ecosystem projects (mainly funded by GEF). (i) legal basis: Conventions, protocols, agreements, MOUs and action plans - mandates, geographic coverage, parties/member states, coverage of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (ABNJ); (ii) institutional framework (commissions, convention secretariats, intergovernmental bodies, etc.) staffing, secretariat location, governing bodies, decision-making process; and (iii) financial arrangements to maintain the institutional framework and to implement the programmes - trust fund, link with investments, use of economic instruments, etc. and amount of expenditures and income sources

32 Review items Develop options for conceptual governance mechanisms for ecosystem-based management of regional marine/coastal areas within and beyond national jurisdiction. The options may be based on the existing governance mechanisms or may be associated with creating a new mechanism with programmatic and institutional linkage with the existing mechanisms. The idea of developing conceptual governance options is to make the most use of the existing mechanisms, while enhancing efficiency of these existing mechanisms or as necessary modifying these mechanisms.

33 Regional case studies (i) East Asia region, including the Coordinating Body for the Seas of East Asia (COBSEA), Northwest Pacific Action Plan, Partnership for the Environment Management of Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA) and its Partnership Council, Southeast Asia Fishery Development Centre (SEAFDEC); and (ii) Central and West Africa Region, including the Abidjan Convention and WACAF Action Plan, Sub-regional Commission on Fisheries, Regional Fisheries Committee for the Gulf of Guinea, Fishery Committee for the Eastern Central Atlantic, Benguela Current Commission, Canary Current LME project and Interim Guinea Current Commission.

34 Thank You