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Decision COP XII/22

UNEP/CBD/COP/DEC/XII/22

Marine and coastal biodiversity: ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs)

The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling decision X/29 and decision XI/17,
Also recalling that the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea sets out the legal framework within which all activities in the oceans and seas must be carried out,
Reiterating the central role of the General Assembly of the United Nations in addressing issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity in marine areas beyond national jurisdiction,
Informational
1.Welcomes the scientific and technical evaluation of information contained in the reports of the regional workshops for describing ecologically or biologically significant marine areas held in seven regions: Southern Indian Ocean (Flic en Flac, Mauritius, 31 July-3 August 2012);  Eastern Tropical and Temperate Pacific (Galapagos, Ecuador, 28-31 August 2012;  North Pacific (Moscow, Russian Federation, 25 February-1 March 2013);  South Eastern Atlantic (Swakopmund, Namibia, 8-12 April 2013);  Arctic (Helsinki, Finland, 3 7 March 2014) ; North-West Atlantic (Montreal, Canada, 24-28 March 2014);  and Mediterranean (Málaga, Spain, 3-7 April 2014); 
Informational
2.Expresses its gratitude to all donors, hosting countries and collaborating organizations involved in the organization of the regional workshops referred to above;
Operational Implemented Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
3.Recalling paragraph 26 of decision X/29 and paragraph 6 of decision XI/17, requests the Executive Secretary to include the summary reports prepared by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its eighteenth meeting, as annexed to the present decision, in the EBSA repository, and to submit them, prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, to the General Assembly of the United Nations and particularly its Ad Hoc Open ended Informal Working Group to study issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction, as well as to Parties, other Governments and relevant international organizations in line with the purpose and procedures set out in decisions X/29 and XI/17, and further requests the Executive Secretary to present the reports  to the Ad Hoc Working Group of the Whole on the Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment, including Socioeconomic Aspects;
Informational
4.Notes that there is an ongoing scientific and technical process applying the EBSA criteria in the North-East Atlantic;
Informational
5.Recalls the sovereignty of coastal States over their territorial sea, as well as their sovereign rights and jurisdiction in the exclusive economic zone and continental shelf, as well as the rights of other States in these areas, in accordance with international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and recognizes that the sharing of the outcomes of the EBSA process does not prejudice the sovereignty, sovereign rights or jurisdiction of coastal States, or the rights of other States;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
6.Requests the Executive Secretary, in line with paragraph 36 of decision X/29 and paragraph 12 of decision XI/17, to continue to facilitate the description of areas meeting the criteria for EBSAs through the organization of additional regional or subregional workshops where Parties wish workshops to be held;
Operational Active Implemented Parties Other Government(s) Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
7.Invites Parties and  other Governments to undertake national exercises, as appropriate, to describe areas meeting the EBSA criteria, or other relevant compatible and complementary nationally or intergovernmentally agreed scientific criteria in areas within national jurisdiction, taking into account States’ own established processes within their respective jurisdictions, and to consider making this information, and other relevant information, available through the EBSA repository or information-sharing mechanism, in accordance with the process established in decisions X/29 and XI/17, and requests the Executive Secretary to report on progress to a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
Operational Active Parties Other Government(s)
8.Encourages Parties and other Governments to make use, as appropriate, of the scientific information regarding the description of areas meeting EBSA criteria, including the information in the EBSA repository and information-sharing mechanism, as well as the information from indigenous and local communities as well as relevant sectors, including the fisheries sector, when carrying out marine spatial planning, development of representative networks of marine protected areas, taking into account annex II to decision IX/20, and application of other area-based management measures in marine and coastal areas, with a view to contributing to national efforts to achieve the Aichi Biodiversity Targets;
Operational Active UNGA OTHERS
9.Welcoming United Nations General Assembly resolution 68/70 on oceans and the law of the sea, further invites, in this context, the United Nations General Assembly as well as other competent international organizations to consider using, as appropriate, the scientific information included in the EBSA repository regarding the descriptions of areas meeting the EBSA criteria in the implementation of their respective mandates;
Operational Implemented Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
10.Also requests the Executive Secretary, building upon the existing scientific guidance and drawing upon the lessons learned from the series of regional workshops to facilitate the description of areas meeting the EBSA criteria and views gathered from Parties and other Governments, to develop practical options to further enhance scientific methodologies and approaches on the description of areas meeting the EBSA criteria, ensuring that the best available scientific and technical information and traditional knowledge of various users of marine resources, including fishers, are used and that the products are scientifically sound and up-to-date, and to report on progress to a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
Operational Active Parties Other Government(s)
11.Invites Parties and other Governments who find it appropriate to do so, individually, in accordance with national legislation, bilaterally or jointly at the regional level, and, where appropriate, in collaboration with competent intergovernmental organizations, in accordance with international law, including UNCLOS, to undertake scientific and technical analysis of the status of marine and coastal biodiversity in areas, within the respective jurisdictions of Parties and other Governments and the  mandates of intergovernmental organizations, described as meeting the EBSA criteria and contained in the EBSA repository;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
12.Requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with Parties, other Governments, relevant organizations, including regional seas conventions and action plans, and, where appropriate, regional fisheries management organizations with regard to fisheries management, to facilitate technical training, including the organization of regional and/or subregional capacity-building workshops, where Parties wish workshops to be held, on scientific methodologies and approaches of applying the EBSA criteria as well as the compilation and use of scientific and technical information contained in the EBSA repository and information-sharing mechanism, and other relevant information, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets, and to report on progress to a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Parties Other Government(s)
13.Recalling paragraph 22 of decision XI/17 and recognizing the scientific gaps, regarding the description of areas meeting the EBSA criteria, requests the Executive Secretary, encourages Parties and invites other Governments to collaborate with relevant international scientific bodies including, inter alia, the Intergovernmental Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services, to address knowledge gaps and lack of scientific information regarding the description of areas meeting the EBSA criteria;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity Parties Other Government(s) OTHERS
14.Requests the Executive Secretary, and invites Parties, other Governments, and funding organizations, as appropriate, to provide adequate, timely and sustainable support to address capacity-building and financial needs regarding the description of areas meeting the EBSA criteria in developing country Parties, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States as well as countries with economies in transition;
Operational Active Parties Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
15.Recalling paragraph 24 of decision XI/17 and recognizing the importance of traditional knowledge as a source of information for describing areas meeting the EBSA criteria, encourages Parties to promote, as appropriate and in accordance with national legislation,  the use of the traditional, scientific, technical and technological knowledge of indigenous and local communities at the national level, with their full and effective participation, in support of the description of areas meeting the EBSA criteria and requests the Executive Secretary to facilitate the participation of indigenous and local communities, including fisheries communities, with a view to ensuring their full and effective participation in  regional or subregional workshops on the description of areas meeting the criteria for EBSAs, and to incorporate the use of traditional knowledge in the EBSA training materials;
Body
Conference of the Parties (COP)

Meeting
COP-12
Twelfth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
6 - 17 October, 2014
Pyeongchang, Republic of Korea

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