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Decision COP XIII/11
CBD/COP/DEC/XIII/11

Voluntary specific workplan on biodiversity in cold-water areas within the jurisdictional scope of the Convention

The Conference of the Parties,
Recalling paragraph 7 of the annex to decision XII/23, in which it urged Parties to advocate and contribute to effective carbon dioxide emission reductions by reducing anthropogenic emissions from sources and through increasing removals of greenhouse gases by sinks under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, noting also the relevance of the Convention on Biological Diversity and other instruments,
Welcoming the Paris Agreement,  in particular the articles related to biodiversity, 
Informational
1.Notes that cold-water areas sustain ecologically important and vulnerable habitats, such as cold-water corals and sponge fields, which play important functional biological and ecological roles, including supporting rich communities of fish as well as suspension-feeding organisms such as sponges, bryozoans and hydroids, some of which may be undergoing change due to the combined and cumulative effects of multiple stressors, including both global stressors, in particular ocean acidification, and local stressors;
Informational
2.Welcomes the scientific compilation and synthesis on biodiversity and acidification in cold water areas,  and takes note of the key findings of this synthesis, as summarized in annex I to the present decision; 
Informational
3.Adopts the voluntary specific workplan for biodiversity in cold-water areas within the jurisdictional scope of the Convention contained in annex II to the present decision as an addendum to the programme of work on marine and coastal biodiversity (decision XII/5, annex I), which can be used as a flexible and voluntary framework for action;
Operational Active Parties Other Government(s) Intergovernmental organizations
4.Encourages Parties, other Governments and competent intergovernmental organizations, where applicable, within their respective jurisdictions and mandates and in accordance with national circumstances, to implement the activities contained in the workplan and further strengthen current efforts at local, national, regional and global levels to:
(a)Avoid, minimize and mitigate the impacts of global and local stressors, and especially the combined and cumulative effects of multiple stressors;
(b)Maintain and enhance the resilience of ecosystems in cold-water areas in order to contribute to the achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Targets 10, 11 and 15, and thereby enable the continued provisioning of goods and services;
(c)Identify and protect refugia sites and areas capable of acting as refugia sites, and adopt, as appropriate, other area-based conservation measures, in order to enhance the adaptive capacity of cold-water ecosystems;
(d)Enhance understanding of ecosystems in cold-water areas, including by improving the ability to predict the occurrence of species and habitats and to understand their vulnerability to different types of stressors as well as to the combined and cumulative effects of multiple stressors;
(e)Enhance international and regional cooperation in support of national implementation, building on existing international and regional initiatives and creating synergies with various relevant areas of work within the Convention;
Operational Parties Other Government(s)
5.Invites Parties, other Governments and research and funding organizations to promote, as appropriate, within their competencies, and in accordance with national circumstances, activities to address the research and monitoring needs identified in annex III to the present decision;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
6.Requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations, to facilitate, promote and support the implementation of the workplan contained in annex II to the present decision by, among other things, facilitating capacity-building activities, subject to available financial resources, and the sharing of information on experiences and lessons learned from the implementation of the workplan, including through collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization, the International Seabed Authority, regional seas conventions and action plans, regional fishery bodies and other relevant organizations.
Body
Conference of the Parties (COP)

Meeting
COP-13
Thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
4 - 17 December, 2016
Cancun, Mexico

Elements of decision
1 1 Informational
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