Highlights and images for 11 April 2018

2nd Meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies on Accelerating Progress Towards the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Sustainable Development Goals

Summary

On Wednesday, participants at the 2nd SOI Global Dialogue focused on sharing lessons learned and case studies in addressing critical challenges and opportunities in regional-scale cooperation, under the theme “unlocking the potential for transformational change towards sustainability.”

Participants spent much of the day in break-out groups, discussing how cross-sectoral cooperation, at the regional or sub-regional level might:

enhance the application of the ecosystem approach and ecosystem-based management;
strengthen the effectiveness of area-based management tools;
prevent, reduce or mitigate pollution impacts, including marine debris; and
strengthen monitoring and data/information sharing to support scientific assessment of status and trends of marine biodiversity and fisheries resources.

Morning presentations provided insights on: developing an ecosystem framework approach in the North Atlantic region; the need for regional assessments in the Sargasso Sea; benefits of regional marine spatial planning in the Baltic Sea region; and use of maritime safety tools, such as identification of Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas, to advance protection of vulnerable areas.

In the afternoon, presentations covered: cross-sectoral data sharing and collaboration regarding the origin and composition of marine litter in the Pacific; legal instruments and incentives in the European Union to reduce marine litter; development of an ocean governance toolkit; and the use of “essential ocean variables” as a way to focus and standardize data collection efforts.

Some observations from the discussion groups made repeat appearances. On differences between RSOs and RFBs, participants highlighted disparate mandates for enforcement and management, and saw harmonizing data as an opportunity for enhanced collaboration. They also emphasized the need for capacity building and said that regional bodies could help build support for ecosystem-based approaches.

IISD Reporting Services, through its ENB+ Meeting Coverage, provided daily digital coverage and a summary report from the 2nd Meeting of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative (SOI) Global Dialogue with Regional Seas Organizations and Regional Fishery Bodies on Accelerating Progress Toward the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and Sustainable Development Goals. Our summary report is available in HTML or PDF format.

Photos by IISD/ENB | Natalia Mroz
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