Download From the 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands

For Immediate Release, April 10, 2008
Conference Overview and Outcomes
From the 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands:
Advancing Ecosystem Management and Integrated Coastal and Ocean
Management in the Context of Climate Change, April 7-11, 2008,
Hanoi, Vietnam
1. Background
The 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, April 7-11, 2008, Hanoi,
Vietnam, brought together 430 ocean and coastal leaders from around the world
representing 71 countries. All sectors, including governments, intergovernmental and
international organizations, non-governmental organizations, the business community,
ocean donors, and scientific institutions came together to assess essential issues in the
governance of the world’s oceans. The Conference underscored the importance of an
ecosystem-based integrated approach to ocean and coastal management and, for the
first time, underlined the connections between oceans policy and climate change
issues, focusing particular attention to the “climate divide” (whereby the poorest
people on earth will be hurt the most) and the need for the international community to
react to and to put resources and know-how to work to address these issues and to
redress the coming human suffering.
The marine environment has traditionally been managed in a sectoral way, with
separate management regimes for each ocean use, e.g., fisheries management did not
consider other marine uses, use of oceans under national jurisdiction did not relate to
uses of ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction, poverty alleviation was not linked to
a healthy marine environment, etc. Yet as the impacts of climate change threaten to
alter the marine environment at a scale never before witnessed, affecting all issues,
sectors, and peoples of the world, an imperative for integrated and sustainable marine
management, recognizing that all oceanic and atmospheric problems are linked and
must be considered as a whole system, has become clear.
Ocean and coastal managers are at the forefront of the climate challenge. Climate
change is beginning to alter the nature of the coastal and ocean environment on which
humanity depends, as the following examples illustrate:
 Oceans and the atmosphere are changing at a rate faster than previously
experienced, which is threatening human security. Most of the increased heat of
the earth during recent decades has gone into the ocean. The increased energy of
the ocean atmosphere system is driving an increase in more extreme weather
events. Storm intensity is about five times larger than expected, and hurricane
intensity has grown. Furthermore, sea level is rising almost by a factor of two,
faster than it did during the half century prior to 1990.
 Low lying areas, coastal mega-cities, and several small islands, are subject to
increased erosion and loss of coastal protection from natural ecosystems such as
coral reefs and wetlands. Life supporting food production in many coastal areas is
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changing and threatened, including the location of fish populations, and food
security is at risk.
 The security of coastal populations (about half the global population) is already on
a risk trajectory due to sea level rise and greater intensity and frequency of storms.
Combined with coastal population growth trends, developing countries are
threatened with a growing tide of environmental refugees either permanently – in
the case of many small island developing States (SIDS) – or seasonally as millions
more are displaced due to an increased intensity and frequency of storms.
 In certain island States people are already evacuating due to the rising sea and
increases in storm frequency and intensity. For example, 2000 people living in
the Carteret Islands of Papua New Guinea were forced to evacuate and move to an
adjacent island following the demise of their homes due to high tides and storms.
Other island nations such as Tuvalu and Kiribati are currently preparing plans for
eventual resettlement of their populations in other countries.
 Asia will be particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially
major population centers at low elevations including: Mumbai, India; Shanghai,
China; Jakarta, Indonesia; Tokyo, Japan; and Dhaka, Bangladesh. The five most
vulnerable countries with large populations are China, India, Bangladesh,
Vietnam, and Indonesia. The impact of climate change on developing nations is
significant and the implications of these potential effects range from changes in
ocean chemistry and forecasted sea level rise to impacts on ecosystems, human
health, and the displacement of coastal peoples.
 Developing countries in Africa (which account for less than 3% of global carbon
emissions) will be highly affected. Droughts have already been increasing,
particularly in parts of Africa, resulting in a shortage of drinking and irrigation
water, which causes food shortages, and in turn, human malnutrition. Conversely,
in areas of frequent flooding, such as Mozambique and Bangladesh, much of the
freshwater supplies have become contaminated with human waste and bacteria,
further decreasing the amount of drinking water available and creating sanitation
issues. Diseases such as cholera and typhoid are much more abundant following
flooding events in developing countries.
A major issue that the international community has to face is the ‘climate divide’ (i.e.
the poorest people on earth will be affected the most by climate change), which is
increasingly being recognized as a major challenge. As the chair of the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) noted, it’s “the poorest of the
poor in the world, and this includes poor people even in prosperous societies, who are
going to be the worst hit … people who are poor are least equipped to be able to adapt
to the impacts of climate change and therefore, in some sense, this does become a
global responsibility” (IPCC 2007).
2. The Role of the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands
The Global Forum was mobilized in 2001 in the run-up to the 2002 World Summit on
Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (which brought together the world’s heads
of state to examine progress achieved (or lack thereof) in the ten years since the 1992
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‘Earth Summit’ in Rio de Janeiro), when it became apparent that issues related to
oceans (72% of the earth’s surface), coasts (50% of the world’s population), and
islands (44 nations are small island States), were absent from the agenda of the
world’s governments. A broad coalition of governments, NGOs, UN agencies, and
other groups mobilized to bring the issues related to oceans, coasts, and islands to the
attention of the world’s governments at the first Global Conference on Oceans,
Coasts, and Islands at UNESCO in Paris in December 2001. This effort was
successful and governments adopted important targets and timetables for achieving
goals on many aspects of oceans governance, including integrated management,
preventing illegal fishing, and protecting marine biodiversity, among others.
Since 2001, the Global Forum has played a key role in tracking the implementation of
global goals and targets on oceans, issuing policy analyses and periodic report cards
on these issues, and organizing global conferences to bring together key players to
advance implementation of global goals as well as to devise solutions to new
challenges such as climate change. The 2006 Global Forum “report card” on Meeting
the Commitments on Oceans, Coasts, and Small Island Developing States Made at the
2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development: How Well Are We Doing?
is available at:
www.globaloceans.org/globalconferences/2006/pdf/WSSDReport_100406d.pdf
Today the Global Forum is composed of ocean and coastal leaders from all sectors
and regions of the world, including close to 100 countries. The 4th Global Conference
on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands builds on the three prior global conferences, and for
the first time fully confronts the issues of climate change, which is forcing a need for
dramatic changes in the nature of ocean and coastal management.
3. The 4th Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands
An extensive preparatory process involving twelve multinational Working Groups
(involving 254 ocean experts from 68 countries representing all sectors and regions of
the world) was mobilized to prepare analyses and specific policy recommendations to
the 4th Global Conference in Hanoi, Vietnam, April 7-11, 2008. The Policy Briefs
prepared by each Working Group are available on the YouTube Channel noted below.
Coverage of the Global Conference is available at the following sites:
 The Global Forum, the World Ocean Network and the World Ocean Observatory have
created a special GOC2008 website and YouTube channel designed specifically to inform
audiences across the world about the context and work of the Global Forum using rich
media.
GOC2008 YouTube Channel: http://www.youtube.com/globaloceans2008
GOC2008 Website: http://www.thew2o.net/goc2008
These sites enable viewers to:
 Explore the proceedings of the Conference and each major ocean issue being
addressed.
 View the reports, recommendations, and Policy Briefs of the Global Forum’s
12 Working Groups, which have been mobilized to provide recommendations
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
on priority next steps that the international community should take on major
ocean issues.
Watch ocean and coastal experts from various sectors around the globe in brief
interviews addressing major ocean topics and issues.
 The International Institute for Sustainable Development – Reporting Services
(IISDRS) has provided daily coverage of Conference proceedings. As the
publisher of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, IISDRS is recognized for its
objectivity and issue expertise in the field of international environment and
sustainable development policy. At past Global Ocean Conferences, IISDRS
has helped the Global Forum to disseminate conference reports containing
recommendations on advancing the development of integrated oceans policies
worldwide to their mail-lists, which include 45,000 subscribers.
4. Major Highlights of the Global Conference
The 4th Global Conference assessed progress made (or lack thereof) in achieving
ecosystem-based management (EBM) and integrated coastal and ocean management
(ICM) at the global level by 2010. This goal was agreed by world’s leaders at the
World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002. EBM and ICM
endeavor to advance the adaptive management of watersheds, shorelines, nearshore
coastal and estuarine waters, and ocean areas affected by the coastal zone. In practice,
this requires the integration across coastal, marine, and land-based sectors, integration
at multiple levels of government and spatial planning bridging land and ocean, and,
frequently, cooperation among nations when the areas under management transcend
national boundaries. The emerging threat of climate change is inextricably linked to
the oceans and was therefore a major cross-cutting theme of the Conference.
The goal of implementing EBM and ICM by 2010 were examined in 3 ocean areas,
including areas under national jurisdictions (coastal zones and 200 mile Exclusive
Economic Zones), regional ocean areas including regional seas and Large Marine
Ecosystems, and ocean areas beyond national jurisdiction - which represent 64% of
the ocean and remain one of the big unresolved issues in global ocean governance.
A critical part of a healthy marine environment, fisheries were a major emphasis of
the Conference. The following points were considered by the Working Group:
 In 2005, 76% of marine fish stocks were classified by the Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) as fully exploited, overexploited, or
depleted, meaning the stocks are being fished at or beyond their maximum
biological productivity. Only 23% were under or moderately exploited and 1%
were recovering.
 Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported (IUU) fishing represents a challenge in
managing fish stocks. IUU fishing greatly undermines these efforts by distorting
estimated stock sizes and markets for internationally traded fish products. Recent
reports estimate that the worldwide value of IUU catches is between $US 4 billion
and 9 billion a year, yet only 1.25 billion of this comes from the high seas.
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 Sound aquaculture policy is necessary for meeting increasing demand of fisheries
resources; countries should promote sustainable aquaculture development and
support necessary infrastructure and research.
 Climate change will alter marine ecosystems and resources, including fish
populations, and our abilities to depend on the location and abundance of these
populations. This could have potentially severe effects for some nations,
particularly those dependent on fish as a source of protein intake.
Marine biodiversity was another critical focus of the Conference. Marine biodiversity
is essential to human life in providing food and essential compounds for drugs and
technology, tourism attractions and recreational activities, and protection from storms
and coastal erosion. The potential global value of marine ecosystems is vast,
estimated to outweigh terrestrial equivalents, which includes:
 The reduction of biodiversity may be associated with exponential reductions of
ecosystem functions: 20-25% species loss can cause a reduction of 50-80% of
ecosystem functions, threatening our life supporting services.
 As noted above, 76% of global fisheries are fully utilized or over-fished, and 60%
of coral reefs are threatened, along with the benefits they provide to livelihoods,
biodiversity, coastal protection and medical advances.
Freshwater resources and watersheds represented another important emphasis of the
Conference.
 Some 80% of marine pollution stems from land-based sources, representing a
major global challenge to terrestrial and marine management.
 Vital to life itself, we must address the changing nature of freshwater resources
due to global climate change. It is also important to address the challenge of
linking freshwater to coasts from a new collaborative perspective that examines
how decisionmaking and institutional development from both upstream and
downstream management could be reconciled at international, regional, national,
and sub-national levels.
All of these priority areas are complicated by underlying issues of poverty, capacity
development, compliance and enforcement, and public education and outreach.
 Poverty – Ocean and coastal areas and marine resources contribute significantly to
the economies of many nations, and are particularly important to developing
countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty. While many developing countries
are rich in natural resources, they remain locked in poverty in some cases due to
inequitable resource use agreements.
 Capacity development – It is essential to identify and address capacity building
needs of governments, as well as opportunities for partnerships and funding
support from donor organizations, in developing States, SIDS, and in States with
economies in transition to implement integrated, multidisciplinary and
multisectoral approaches to the management of oceans and coasts at national and
regional levels.
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 Compliance and enforcement – Compliance with, and enforcement of, regulations,
laws and policies present yet another challenge at the global, regional, national
and local levels. While the international community has made significant strides
in developing agreements, rules, and regulations to improve ocean and coastal
management, compliance and enforcement of these instruments often lags. This is
true at the international, national, and sub-national levels.
 Public education and outreach – There is an overarching need to motivate the
widest possible audience on a worldwide scale to inspire behavior that respects the
environment and promotes intelligent and sustainable use of the ocean. This is the
major purpose of the World Ocean Network, a key partner of the Global Forum,
which includes an impressive global representation of museums and aquaria,
reaching approximately 350 million people on an annual basis.
The major foci of the Conference, as well as the underlying issues which need to be
addressed, must all now be considered in the context of climate change, as detailed
above.
The 4th Global Conference presented an important opportunity to:
 Mobilize world leaders in ocean and coastal management toward management
of the marine environment that is integrated and ecosystem-based
 Advance management that considers the interconnectivities of the oceans in
balancing multiple uses, in appropriate place-based frameworks and over time
 Recognize and embrace the moral authority that ocean and coastal managers
and experts have as the global community at the forefront of the climate
challenge
Changes in the marine environment are already occurring, and at a much more rapid
pace than anticipated. The 4th Global Conference provided a chance to catalyze the
global change, which we must pro-actively, collectively and expeditiously undertake
to prevent further degradation of the oceans, to prevent human suffering – and to
successfully adapt to the effects of a changing climate.
Organized by the Global Forum on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands, and the Government of
Vietnam, under the sponsorship of the Prime Minister and with the leadership of the Ministry
of Agriculture and Rural Development (MARD)-Fisheries, the 4th Global Conference also
counts on the leadership of the Global Environment Facility (GEF); GEF International
Waters Learning Exchange and Resource Network (IW:LEARN); Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission (IOC), UNESCO; United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP); U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA); Ministry of
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, Korea; Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries, Indonesia;
Department of Fisheries and Oceans, Canada; Nippon Foundation, Japan; Lighthouse
Foundation; U.S. Agency for International Development; Flemish Government, Belgium;
World Ocean Network; United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); Partnerships in
Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia (PEMSEA); IUCN Vietnam; World
Ocean Observatory; Ocean Policy Research Foundation, Japan; International Ocean
Institute; Gerard J. Mangone Center for Marine Policy, University of Delaware; the
International Coastal and Ocean Organization and the World Ocean Observatory.
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