Side Event
Great Barrier Reef Representative Areas Program - Australia
Organizer
Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority - Australia
Date and Time
10 February 2004 18:30 - 20:0
<br>The side event will outline a major initiative in the Great Barrier Reef Marine Park in Australia, called the Representative Areas Program (RAP). The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef ecosystem and largest marine protected area. This initiative has produced a new network of protected zones for the entire Marine Park that addresses the twin goals of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use while ensuring the entire Great Barrier Reef remains healthy, productive and resilient for future generations. <br><br> The RAP has implemented many aspects of the Convention on Biological Diversity and provides a practical ecosystem-scale example of protecting marine and coastal biodiversity. <br><br> The RAP has recently been described by WWF Australia as “..… one of the most exciting global advances in the systematic protection of marine biodiversity in recent decades". It is of major relevance to the ‘marine and coastal biodiversity’ agenda item for COP7. However it is also relevant to various other agenda items and cross-cutting issues including: <br> • The Ecosystem Approach<br> • Sustainable Use<br> • Protected areas<br> • Education & public awareness<br> There is already widespread global interest in the methods used in the RAP. Other Parties who are planning marine protected areas, or an ecosystem approach to sustainability, will be interested in this initiative. <br><br> The side-event will outline some of the innovative techniques used in the program, many of which have relevance for other maritime nations. It will also touch on other issues within in the Great Barrier Reef that are of relevance to COP7, including:<br> • Sustainable Use of threatened species<br> • Sustainable fisheries management<br> • Management of land-based pollution sources.<br>