Agenda Item 4 / MASH 03/4/ -E
Original: English
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OSPAR CONVENTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT OF THE NORTH-EAST ATLANTIC

MEETING OF THE WORKING GROUP ON MARINE PROTECTED AREAS, SPECIES AND HABITATS

TAVIRA: 4-6 NOVEMBER 2003

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Towards a Strategy for High Seas Marine Protected Areas

Presented by WWF

Background

  1. OSPAR 2003 adopted Recommendation 2003/3 on a Network of Marine Protected Areas pursuant to Article 3.1 b (ii) and Article 4 of Annex V of the OSPAR Convention which makes it a duty of the OSPAR Commission to develop means, consistent with international law, for instituting protective, conservation, restorative or precautionary measures related to specific areas or sites or related to specific species or habitats.
  1. In June 2003, OSPAR MMC endorsed the Recommendation on a Network of Marine Protected areas and committed to “Working with HELCOM and the European Community, ... identify the first set of such areas by 2006, establish what gaps then remain and complete by 2010 a joint network of well-managed marine protected areas that, together with the Natura 2000 network, is ecologically coherent.“ (§ 11, OSPAR 03/17/1 (A-B)-E Annex 33).
  1. OSPAR Recommendation 2003/3 clarifies that “the OSPAR Network of Marine Protected Areas” means those areas which have been, and remain, reported by a Contracting Party under paragraph 3.1, paragraph 3.3 or paragraph 4.4 below, together with any other area in the maritime area outside the jurisdiction of the Contracting Parties which has been included as a component of the network by the OSPAR Commission." (§ 1.1, OSPAR 03/17/1 (A-B)-E Annex 9).
  1. This is in line with the commitment from the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD, Johannesburg, September 2002) which in its plan of implementation (§ 31(c)) adopted a target of developing a global system of effectively managed representative networks of Marine and Coastal Protected areas by 2012 that includes within its scope the world’s oceans and seas beyond national jurisdiction, consistent with international law.
  1. The 5th IUCN World Parks Congress(WPC), Durban, South Africa (8-17 September 2003) endorsed Recommendation 5.23 on Protecting Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Processes through Marine Protected Areas beyond National Jurisdiction(Annex 1)which identifies seven core components of a future Ten-Year High Seas Marine Protected Area Strategy (based on a draft proposal by IUCN/WCPA/WWF (Annex 2), and key strategy steps as elaborated by marine experts at the World Parks Congress.
  1. Core component 2 referred to in WPC Recommendation 5.23reads "UTILIZE available mechanisms and authorities to establish and effectively manage by 2008 at least five ecologically significant and globally representative High Seas MPAs incorporating strictly protected areas consistent with international law and based on sound science to enhance the conservation of marine biodiversity, species productivity and ecosystems;"
  1. The essence of WPC Recommendation 5.23 including the core component on High Seas MPAs has recently been reflected in the context of the preparatory process for the next CBD CoP with a view to incorporatingOutcome-oriented targets for the implementation of the elaborated programme of work on marine and coastal biological diversityinto the 2010 targets for the CBD programme (Annex, Goal 1, UNEP/CBD/SBSTTA/9/14/Add.3) (Annex 3).
  1. WWF the nature conservation organisation who as yet has launched four proposals[1] to designate high seas areas as OSPAR Marine Protected Areas considers it essential for OSPAR to develop the tools and means for designating anarea in the maritime area outside the jurisdiction of the Contracting Parties as a component of the MPA network and therefore suggests to start the process by considering the potential for a pilot case study e.g.on one of the sites already proposed by WWF.

Action Requested

  1. MASH 2003is invited to examine the information provided by WWF and to consider how to proceed with regard to conservation and management measures which may be required for certain habitats and species in the OSPAR Maritime Area which is beyond national jurisdiction of coastal states.

1

OSPAR CommissionMASH 03/4/ -E

[1]High seas areas so far proposed for the OSPAR Network of Marine Protected Areas by WWF:
BIOTRANS Deep Sea Abyssal Plain:
Josefine Bank:
Rainbow hydrothermal vent field:

Rockall Bank (UK and High Seas):