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Decision COP XIV/9
CBD/COP/DEC/14/9

Marine and coastal biodiversity: ecologically or biologically significant marine areas

The Conference of the Parties,
Reaffirming decisions X/29, XI/17, XII/22and XIII/12, including its paragraph 3, on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas,
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,
Recalling United Nations General Assembly resolution 72/73 on oceans and the law of the sea and its preambular paragraphs on the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea,
Noting the negotiations under way in the Intergovernmental Conference on an International Legally Binding Instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas beyond National Jurisdiction, following United Nations General Assembly resolution 72/249,
Operational Implemented Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
1.Welcomes the scientific and technical information contained in the summary reports prepared by the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its twenty-second meeting, as contained in annex I to the present decision, based on the reports of the two regional workshops for describing ecologically or biologically significant marine areas in the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, and in the Baltic Sea,  and requests the Executive Secretary to include the summary reports in the EBSA repository, and to submit them to the United Nations General Assembly and its relevant processes, as well as Parties, other Governments and relevant international organizations, in line with the purpose and procedures set out in decisions X/29, XI/17, XII/22 and XIII/12;
Operational Active Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity
2.Also welcomes the report of the Expert Workshop to Develop Options for Modifying the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, for Describing New Areas, and for Strengthening the Scientific Credibility and Transparency of this Process,  held in Berlin from 5 to 8 December 2017, and requests the Executive Secretary, subject to the availability of financial resources, to identify options for modifying the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, for describing new areas, and for strengthening the scientific credibility and transparency of this process, noting the above-mentioned report and annex II to the present decision, and to submit them to the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice and to the Conference of the Parties for consideration, and noting annex III;
Operational FAO
3.Calls for further collaboration and information-sharing among the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Maritime Organization and the International Seabed Authority, as well as regional fishery bodies, regional seas conventions and actions plans, and other relevant international organizations, regarding the use of scientific information on ecological and biological features related to ecologically or biologically significant marine areas as one of the key pieces of information that can be used, inter alia, for guidance regarding area-based management tools, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and relevant Sustainable Development Goals;
Operational Active Parties
4.Invites Parties to submit descriptions of areas that meet the criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas in the North-East Atlantic;
Informational
5.Reaffirms that the present decision is strictly a scientific and technical exercise and its implementation shall be without prejudice to the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries, nor does it have economic or legal implications.
Body
Conference of the Parties (COP)

Meeting
COP-14
Fourteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity
17 - 29 November, 2018
Sharm El-Sheikh, Egypt

Documents
CBD/EBSA/WS/2017/1/4
Report of the Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the Black Sea and Caspian Sea - Baku, 24-29 April 2017
CBD/EBSA/EM/2017/1/3
CBD/EBSA/EM/2017/1/3
Report of the Expert Workshop to Develop Options for Modifying the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas, for describing new areas, and for strengthening the scientific credibility and transparency of this process
CBD/EBSA/WS/2017/1/4
CBD/EBSA/WS/2018/1/4
Report of the meeting
CBD/EBSA/WS/2018/1/4
CBD/EBSA/WS/2019/1/2
Compilation of submissions of scientific information to describe areas meeting the scientific criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs) in the North-East Atlantic Ocean
CBD/EBSA/WS/2019/1/3
Data to Inform the Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs) in the North-East Atlantic Ocean
CBD/EBSA/WS/2019/1/4
Report of the Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas in the North-East Atlantic Ocean
CBD/EBSA/WS/2020/01/INF/3
CBD/EBSA/WS/2020/1/INF/1
Briefing note for the workshop
CBD/EBSA/WS/2020/1/INF/2
A gap analysis review of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas
CBD/EBSA/WS/2020/1/INF/4
Discussion document on potential modalities for the modification of descriptions of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas and for the description of new areas
https://documents-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N19/065/14/pdf/N1906514.pdf?OpenElement
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