Decisions and Resolutions Adopted
during the International Coral Reef Initiative
- Coordination and Planning Committee Meeting
April, 2001, Cebu, Philippines
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Decision and Resolutions Adopted
During the International Coral Reef Initiative- Coordination and Planning Committee Meeting
April, 2001, Cebu, Philippines
Introduction
The International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI) is a partnership among nations and organisations seeking to implement Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, and other international Conventions and agreements for the benefit of coral reefs and related ecosystems. The Initiative was established in order to stop and reverse the global degradation of coral reefs and related ecosystems.
The Coordination and Planning Committee (CPC) is the advisory committee of the ICRI Secretariat, which meets once or twice per year, often opportunistically to coincide with other international meetings. In turn, CPC members are requested to facilitate the objectives and projects of ICRI. The CPC members are representatives from the founding Countries, multilateral Banks, International Agencies, NGOs, scientific bodies and the private sector. They also emphasize strong regional representation, with one from each ICRI region (usually the coordinator at the UNEP Regional Seas Office) and at least a representative of one other country from that region. Since 1999, the ICRI CPC meets twice a year.
Below are all the decisions taken and resolutions formulated at the last CPC meeting in Cebu City, Philippines, taking place 5-6 April 2001.
Decision in Support of Apec Strategy on Destructive Fishing
Noting the significant and harmful impact of destructive fishing practices on coral reef ecosystems;
Recalling the “Resolution on Trade in Coral and Coral Reef Species” (October, 1999), “Recommendation on ICRI Principles for the Marine Ornamental Trade” (May, 2000), and “Resolution on Sustainable Fisheries” (October, 2000) adopted at previous meetings;
Taking note of the recommendations for action resulting from two workshops on destructive fishing practices convened by the APEC under APEC’s Fisheries Working Group and Marine Resources Conservation Working Group,
Further noting the finding of the APEC Oceans Conference stating that APEC member countries should stop destructive fishing practices;
Calling attention to the draft outline of an APEC strategy to undertake cooperative action to: address destructive fishing practices in the region; to set management standards and guidelines for export and import; to encourage sharing of experience and sharing of data and information;
Noting that this draft is currently being reviewed by APEC members and will be presented for discussion and adoption at the joint working group meetings in May 2001, in Hong Kong;
The International Coral Reef Initiative Coordination and Planning Committee:
Strongly urgesICRI partners who are members of APEC to support the work of the APEC Fisheries and Marine Resources Conservation Working Groups, and to adopt the APEC Strategy on Destructive Fishing at their May 2001 meeting in Hong Kong.
Decision on Determining the Economic Value of Coral Reefs to User Communities
Recognising that coastal user communities have been deriving economic, cultural and environmental benefits from coral reefs for hundreds to thousands of years;
Recognising that it is essential to actively involve coastal user communities in the conservation of coral reefs to effectively manage and enforce conservation mechanisms at the local level;
Recognising also that coastal user communities will more likely accept responsibility for the conservation of coral reef resources if they anticipate receiving direct benefits though conservation, which may require alteration of existing practices;
Recognising that support for coral reef conservation and management activities is often dependent on being able to demonstrate clear economic benefits and relevance to vulnerable coastal user communities;
Noting that the majority of economic assessments of the benefits and costs concerned with coral reefs have focussed at national and international scales, and frequently not on the values of coral reefs to different sectors of society, especially for communities dependent on reefs for food security and protection;
Noting that a recent analysis by the Department for International Development of the UK showed that few studies have assessed the contributions of coral reefs to the livelihoods of vulnerable groups, whereas many focussed on the costs of their activities
The International Coral Reef Initiative Coordinating and Planning Committee:
Requests that ICRI partners provide information on any economic assessments on coral reefs as these relate to coastal communities to the ICRI Forum and to other ICRI members;
Requests that, as a matter of urgency, ICRI partners undertake case studies of coral reefs within their areas of interest covering:
- Different coral reef regions of the world;
- Different coral reef user communities reflecting different use patterns and different levels of economic activity; and
- Specific evaluations of both use and non-use values, including traditional subsistence coral reef users.
And that these assessments include:
- A valuation of benefits and costs to vulnerable groups of poor people at the local level rather than the overall value. These would include subsistence activites and values of products sold though local informal networks and consumed by extended families, and other non-use values that do not appear in national statistics;
- Valuations of the benefits and costs of the declaration of marine protected areas on local peoples and the impacts of alternative income generation activities deriving from area declaration and the losses imposed on communities due to such declarations;
- Valuations of the economic effects of tourism activities on the livelihoods of poorer people.
- Establishing mechanisms for regular monitoring of socio-economic benefits and costs-related to coral reef resource use and degradation.
Requests that this information be compiled and provided to ICRI partners at the next CPC meeting and lodged on the ICRI Forum.
Decision on Global Monitoring of Seagrasses and Mangroves
Like coral reefs, seagrasses and mangroves are characterised by high biodiversity, productivity and provide a wide spectrum of services to coastal communities, especially in relation to fisheries and coastal protection.
Coral reefs, seagrasses and mangroves frequently exist in close association with coral reefs and often interact through exchanges of biodiversity and productivity. Monitoring, research and management should take this into account by ensuring that relevant programmes are intergrated.
Seagrass beds and mangrove forests are being adversely impacted by aquaculture development, industrialisation, forestry, recreation, watershed runoff, agricultural land uses, dredge and fill operations, eutrophication and unsustainable fishing practices such that the fisheries productivity, and the physical and biological integrity of these systems is decreasing alarmingly;
The International Coral Reef Initiative CPC therefore:
Welcomes the development of global seagrass and mangrove monitoring networks, possibly based on the model of the GCRMN, because these coral reef associated ecosystems are essential for the livelihoods and food security of many tropical coastal communities.
Invites the global seagrass and mangrove monitoring networks, possibly based on the model of the GCRMN, because these coral reef associated ecosystems are essential for the livelihoods and food security of many tropical coastal communities.
Invites the global seagrass and mangrove monitoring networks to present a report on their progress to the next ICRI CPC meeting in Maputo, Mozambique, in November 2001.
Decision on Reef Restoration
The ICRI CPC:
Recognising that the combination of increasing human use and impacts upon reefs and increased occurrence of severe storm and coral bleaching events associated with increased global sea surface temperatures are placing increased stress and demands upon the natural resilience of recovery capacity of most coral reefs;
Noting that the most immediate priority is to reduce to the absolute minimum the levels of stress caused to coral reefs by human uses and impacts;
Considers that well designed reef restoration and enhancement projects have a role to play in managing the well-being of the world’s coral reefs and in demonstrating to participants the requirements of a clean environment for establishment and growth of reef species;
Stresses that the design and implementation of such projects should be based on risk assessment and economic analysis to ensure that they are environmentally sound, socially acceptable and cost effective;
Notes that information on the design, conduct, costs, benefits and risks of reef restoration and enhancement techniques is not yet accessible in a form which can provide clear guidance to communities, decision makers, scientists and managers considering the application of such techniques;
Calls upon members and the global community to support the urgent development and publication of a handbook (or guidelines) on Reef Restoration and Enhancement Techniques. This handbook should include a consideration of the environmental process, biodiversity and socioeconomic implications of techniques of restoration, enhancement and of artificial reefs.
Decision on the Formation of an Information Coordination Committee
The ICRI CPC endorses the formation of an Information Coordinating Committee, with the membership and terms of references described below:
Terms of Reference
- To provide a forum for ICRI organizations involved in information storage and dissemination programs on coral reefs to advise each other of their activities and plans
- To identify areas of potential overlap and synergy between these programs
- To identify gaps and suggest new initiatives which would contribute to effective access to information on coral reef resources and research and monitoring activities
- To report back to ICRI CPC on the deliberations and recommendations of the committee
Membership
- Membership to include all ICRAN partners and any other ICRI members with an interest in the activities of the committee.
Meetings
- Meetings to be held to coincide with the CPC meeting or other major coral reef related meetings
- E-mail and the ICRI forum to be used as primary means of communication and discussion of issues between meetings.
- ICLARM to coordinate meetings and reporting back to ICRI-CPC
Decision to Create a Virtual Working Group to Develop Guidance on Fiber Optic Cables
Background:
There has been a rapid increase in the installation of submarine fiber optic cables to serve the rapidly expanding telecommunications networks. There is an urgent need to share information among those countries with tropical ecosystems—including coral reefs, seagrass meadows, and mangrove forests—on management approaches to this relatively new and increasing coastal use.
Decision:
The ICRI CPC agrees to establish working group to design guidance for national, state and local governments and coral reef managers on the management and potential benefits from the placement of fiber optic cables. Industry experiences, information on potential and realized environmental impacts, management approaches, and potential opportunities will be shared within the working group. Recommendations will be made on the placement of fiber optic cables, including the potential benefits from establishing “corridors,” and fee structures. The Working Group will conduct its work via e-mail and the internet services of the ICRI Forum and the World Commission on Protected Areas. This project will last not more than one year, with a progress report in the November 2001 CPC meeting and a final product presented in March 2002. The report will be available as a web-based product on the ICRI Forum. The committee will be chaired by Barbara Best, USAID.
Decision to Create a Virtual Working Group to Develop
Guidance on IMO No-Anchoring Areas
Background:
Anchoring by large ships on coral reefs can destroy and degrade a significant portion of these fragile and valuable habitats. The dragging and swinging of large anchor cables and chains destroys coral heads and creates gouges and scars that destabilize the reef structure, which can take thousands of years to build. The regeneration of coral reefs from such damage may never occur. In December 2000, the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a Specialized Agency of the United Nations that addresses international shipping issues, adopted a new rule under international law that allows countries to establish no-anchoring areas for large ships. Such areas may, after submission to IMO, be established in areas where anchoring is unsafe, unstable, or particularly hazardous or where anchoring could result in unacceptable damage to the marine environment. Coral reefs do not provide for stable anchoring, and anchors and anchor cables and chains of large ships also cause devastating harm to coral reefs. The IMO also adopted a US proposal to establish three mandatory no-anchoring areas for all ships for the unique reefs of Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. These areas will go into effect on June 1, 2001.
The adoption of no-anchoring areas by IMO will assist ships steer clear of these areas by requiring that all countries producing charts for international navigation mark such areas on their charts. The no-anchoring measure focuses on prevention of damage, instead of enforcement and liability for damages.
Decision:
The ICRI CPC agrees to establish a working group to design guidance for coral reef managers on the substantive and procedural aspects required to submit a proposal to IMO for the establishment of no-anchoring areas. The Working Group will conduct its work via e-mail, and, when necessary, the internet services of the ICRI Forum or the World Commission on Protected Areas. This project will last not more than one year, with a progress report in the November 2001 CPC meeting and a final product (not more than 10 pages plus samples of proposals) presented in April 2002. The report will be available as a web-based product on the ICRI Forum. Lindy Johnson, who led the US process to create the no-anchoring site documentation submitted to the IMO and serves as NOAAs representative to the IMO, has agreed to chair the Working Group.
Decision to Disseminate Scientific Consensus Findings on Marine Reserves
Copies of a Scientific Consensus Statement on Marine Reserves and Marine Protected Areas, signed by 161 leading marine scientists and experts on marine reserves from around the world and issued on February 17, 2001, during a meeting organized by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), were distributed to participants in the CPC meeting. Since the Statement provides a succinct, non-technical but scientifically accurate summary of the current scientific knowledge about marine reserves, it could be useful for fishermen, marine resources managers, government officials, conservation activists and others who need information for science-based decision making regarding marine reserves and marine protected areas.
ICRI partners agreed to disseminate the Statement to coral reef stakeholders, particularly policy makers and managers, as a tool for their reference. It was noted that scientists who wish to endorse this Consensus Statement may add their names to the list of signatories.
Resolution on Actions to Promote Sustainable and Equitable Practices in the International Trade in Coral Reef Species
Recognizing that the harvest of corals, coral reef fish and invertebrates for the international trade in coral reef species is steadily expanding (particularly in the East Asia and Pacific regions), is frequently characterized by over-exploitation of target species and the use of destructive fishing methods such as cyanide, and is therefore a significant threat to coral reefs;
Also recognizing that much of the reef species trade is poorly documented, frequently illegal under the laws of source countries, and often unregulated;
Further recognizing the desire of reef species trade source countries to strengthen monitoring and management of the exploitation and trade in reef species;
Noting that the elimination of destructive practices and over-exploitation in the reef species trade is the shared responsibility of both source and market countries; and
Further noting that a properly managed reef species trade can potentially provide a sustainable source of livelihood for local communities;
The International Coral Reef Initiative Coordination and Planning Committee:
Recommends that governments of reef species trade source countries strive to improve and harmonize the collection and analysis of data on reef species harvest, exports and imports, with particular respect to species, volumes, and destination countries;
Encourages governments of reef species importing countries to institute procedures to better document and disseminate data on reef species imports, and to ensure that all such imports have been legally obtained in the countries from which they originate;
Urges the development of industry “best practices,” “codes of conduct,” and systems for independent, third-party certification to provide market incentives that reward sustainable harvest and discourage over-exploitation and destructive fishing methods;