Highlights and images for 9 September 2017

4th International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4)

Summary

The fourth International Marine Protected Areas Congress (IMPAC4) high-level meeting took place in Valparaiso, Chile, on Saturday, 9 September 2017. Heads of State, ministers and other dignitaries gathered to discuss the outcomes of IMPAC4 and assess the way forward.

In the morning, participants heard keynote addresses from: H.S.H. Prince Albert II of Monaco, who said effective MPA management depends on specific criteria for protection; and, Michelle Bachelet, President of the Republic of Chile, who said joint and coordinated action is required to address the needs of our planet and the message is clear, “it is worth it, and it is possible.”

Participants also heard keynote speeches from: Heraldo Muñoz, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Chile; Marcelo Mena, Minister of the Environment, Chile; Guido Girardi, Senator and Chairman of the Future Challenges Commission; and, Ségolène Royal, President, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP21 and French Ambassador to the Arctic and Antarctic Poles.

Panel discussions also took place on: the report on the main results and recommendations from IMPAC4; MPAs and ocean conservation as climate action; and, integrating local communities and other key stakeholders in the creation and effective management of MPAs.

The meeting finished with a Call for Action on MPAs, with a number of countries and organizations taking the floor to express their support, including: Argentina; Brazil; Uruguay; Gabon; Peru; France; United Kingdom; the UN Food and Agriculture Organization; UN Development Programme; and, the Transatlantic Partnership of Marine Protected Areas.

Following closing statements, the high-level meeting was closed at 6:41 PM

Photos by IISD/ENB | Ángeles Estrada Vigil

High Level Meeting Opening Ceremony

(L-R): Marcelo Mena, Minister of the Environment of Chile and Chair of IMPAC4, Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile, H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Heraldo Muñoz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile

H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco

Marcelo Mena, Minister of the Environment of Chile and Chair of IMPAC4, and Michelle Bachelet, President of Chile

H.S.H. Albert II, Prince of Monaco, and Heraldo Muñoz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile

Heraldo Muñoz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Chile

Ségolène Royal, UNFCCC COP21 President

Report on the main results and recommendations from IMPAC4

(L-R): Dan Laffoley, IUCN-World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA), Maximiliano Bello, Pew Charitable Trusts, Nelson Zambrano, Undersecretary Coastal and Marine Management, Ecuador, Sally Barnes, Parks Australia, and Liesbeth Van der Meer, OCEANA-Chile

Liesbeth van der Meer, Vice-president, OCEANA-Chile

Sally Barnes, Director, Parks Australia

Maximiliano Bello, Pew Charitable Trusts

Nelson Zambrano, Undersecretary for Coastal and Marine Management, Ecuador

Dan Laffoley, IUCN-WCPA

Guido Girardi, Senator and Chairman, Future Challenges Commission

MPAs and Ocean Conservation as Climate Action

(L-R): Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Enric Sala, National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence, Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu, Minister of Environment, French Polynesia, and Serge Segura, French Ambassador for the Oceans

Heremoana Maamaatuaiahutapu, Minister of Environment, French Polynesia

Margaret Leinen, Director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Enric Sala, National Geographic Society Explorer-in-Residence

Serge Segura, French Ambassador for the Oceans

Integrating local communities and other key stakeholders in the creation and effective management of MPAs

(L-R): Carolina Hotu Hey, Provincial Governer, Easter Island, Chile, Elsa Galarza, Minister of Environment, Peru, François Gauthiez, French Agency for Biodiversity, and Eve Crowley, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)