Download EBSA : DESCRIBING AREAS MEETING SCIENTIFIC CRITERIA FOR

Convention on Biological Diversity
EBSA : DESCRIBING AREAS MEETING SCIENTIFIC
CRITERIA FOR ECOLOGICALLY OR BIOLOGICALLY
SIGNIFICANT MARINE AREAS (EBSAs)
Charles Besacnon
and Jihyun Lee
Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity
WSSD Plan of Implementation 2002
32. In accordance with chapter 17 of Agenda 21, promote the
conservation and management of the oceans through actions at all
levels, … to:
(a) Maintain the productivity and biodiversity of important and
vulnerable marine and coastal areas, including in areas
within and beyond national jurisdiction; […]
(c) Develop and facilitate the use of diverse approaches and tools,
including the ecosystem approach, the elimination of destructive
fishing practices, the establishment of marine protected areas
consistent with international law and based on scientific
information, including representative networks by 2012 and
time/area closures for the protection of nursery grounds and periods,
proper coastal land use and watershed planning and the integration
of marine and coastal areas management into key sectors;
CBD COP 10 (2010) guidance on EBSAs (decision X/29)
COP 10 noted the application of scientific criteria for identifying
EBSAs, adopted by COP in decision IX/20 (annex I), presents a
tool,,,,,towards implementation of ecosystem approaches in
relation to areas both within and beyond national jurisdiction
COP 10 noted :
the application of EBSAs scientific criteria is a scientific and
technical exercise
that areas found to meet the criteria may require enhanced
conservation and management measures, including MPAs and
impact assessments
EASAs identification and selection of conservation and
management measures is a matter of States and competent
intergovernmental organizations
CBD scientific criteria for ecologically and biologically significant areas (EBSAs)
(annex I, decision IX/20)
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Uniqueness or Rarity
Special importance for life history
stages of species
Importance for threatened,
endangered or declining species
and/or habitats
Vulnerability, Fragility, Sensitivity,
or Slow recovery
Biological Productivity
Biological Diversity
Naturalness
FAO criteria for VMEs

Uniqueness or rarity

Functional significance of
the habitat

Fragility

Life-history traits of
component species

Structural complexity
COP 10 guidance on EBSAs (decision X/29, para 36)
COP 10 requested Executive Secretary to:
work with Parties and other Governments as
well as competent organizations and regional
initiatives, such as the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO), regional seas
conventions and action plans, and, where appropriate,
regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs),
with regards to fisheries management, to organize a
series of regional workshops to facilitate the
description of EBSAs through the application of
scientific criteria (annex I to decision IX/20) and other
relevant criteria
COP 10 guidance on EBSAs (decision X/29, para 42)
COP 10 requested SBSTTA to prepare reports based
on scientific and technical evaluation of
information from the workshops, setting out
details of areas that meet the criteria in annex I
to decision IX/20 for consideration and endorsement in a
transparent manner by the Conference of the Parties
to the Convention with a view to include the endorsed
reports in the repository and to submit them to the
United Nations General Assembly and particularly its
Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group on
biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction
COP 10: EBSAs Process
Report on EBSAs
Recommended by
SBSTTA
CBD COP
UN GA/Ad Hoc Openended WG
SBSTTA
Report on EBSAs
endorsed by COP
Report on EBSAs
Compiled from
Regional Workshop
CBD Secretariat : EBSAs
Repository and Information Sharing
Mechanism
EBSAs
Regional
Workshop
Data /
Capacity Gap
UNDOALOS, FAO, ISA,
IMO, UNEP
Long-term Research
and Capacity
Development Plan
Regional
Workshop
CBD Scientific Partners
: WCMC, GOBI, OBIS
RSOs/ RFMOs
Regional
Workshop
Ocean area covered by CBD EBSA regional workshops as well as relevant
regional EBSA processes: 195.5 million sq.km
(about 58% of total estimated ocean area, 335 million sq.km)
OSPAR: 13.5 m
MAP: 2.5 m
SPREP: 60.6 m
CAR: 27.8 m
SIO: 50.9 m
ETTP: 40.2 m
Dotted line indicates
future confirmed
workshops
Submissions of
scientific
information on
potential areas
meeting EBSA
criteria
Brazil’s national
preparatory process:
Involving more than
50 scientists for the
compilation of
scientific data to
describe areas
meeting EBSAs
criteria
Workshop Expert
Discussion on the
description of areas
meeting EBSA criteria at
sub-regional groups
Workshop Plenary Discussion and
Adoption of the description of areas
meeting EBSAs criteria
Post-workshop report editing and
strengthening of scientific
information on areas description
Final report
Collection,
Compilation,
Analysis , Synthesis
and Mapping of
relevant scientific
data & information
CBD Secretariat’s
Technical support
team in partnership
with Global Ocean
Biodiversity Initiative,
OBIS, UNEP/CEP,
and various other
global and regional
partners
Compilation of scientific data & information
Data compilation
and collection
Overlay & Analysis
Synthesis and Mapping
Data to inform the
CBD Workshop
to Facilitate the Description of
Ecologically or Biologically
Significant Marine Areas
in the Wider Caribbean
and Western Mid-Atlantic
Patrick Halpin, Jesse Cleary, Corrie Curtice, Ben Donnelly
February 20, 2012
Prepared for the Secretariat of the Convention on
Biodiversity (SCBD)
~40 GIS data layers of biogeography, biological and physical data
EBSA Decisions from CBD COP 11 in Hyderabad, India, October 2012
Takes note of the Mediterranean Synthesis Report and its conclusion
regarding the continuation of the work in close cooperation with
Mediterranean countries and relevant organizations, in order to finalize the
description of areas that meet the criteria for ecologically or biologically
significant marine areas in the Mediterranean region
EBSA Decisions from CBD COP 11 in Hyderabad, India, October 2012
requests the Executive Secretary to include
the summary
reports on the description of areas that meet the
criteria for ecologically or biologically significant
marine areas… contained in the annex to this decision, in the
repository, as referred to in decision X/29 and this decision, and …, to
submit them to the United Nations General
Assembly and particularly its Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal
Working Group to Study Issues Relating to the Conservation and
Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity Beyond Areas of
National Jurisdiction, …, and further requests the Executive Secretary
to submit
them to the Ad Hoc Working Group of
the Whole on the Regular Process for Global Reporting
and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment…
EBSA Decisions from CBD COP 11 in Hyderabad, India, October 2012
Takes note of the particular need for a regional
workshop to be organized in the Mediterranean
region in order to finalize the description of
areas that meet the criteria for ecologically or
biologically significant marine areas in time for
its report to be considered by a meeting of the
Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and
Technological Advice prior to the twelfth meeting
of the Conference of the Parties;
EBSA Decisions from CBD COP 11 in Hyderabad, India, October 2012
Requests the Executive Secretary to further
develop, subject to availability of financial
resources, the prototype [EBSA] repository and
the information-sharing mechanism into a fully
functional repository and information-sharing
mechanism so that they can fully serve the
purpose called for in paragraph 39 of decision
X/29, in collaboration with Parties, other
Governments, …
What’s next
1. RAC/SPA to inventory available data and update with national authorities
and NGOs, etc.
2. RAC/SPA to coordinate with CBD and national authorities of Mediterranean
countries for a common organisation of the regional meeting to refine the
EBSA proposals for the region
a. Hopefully in the first half of the year
3. Workshop report submission to CBD SBSTTA
4. Submission to SPA Focal Points
5. Submission to respective COPs
6. On to UNGA