Submissions within national jurisdiction for inclusion in the repository

Submissions intended to be included in the EBSA repository must be prepared using the template for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas. 

When the Secretariat receives a submission for the modification or description of an EBSA in areas within national jurisdiction for inclusion in the EBSA repository, the Secretariat:

1. Adds a record of the submission, as received, to the information-sharing mechanism (ISM).
2. Issues a notification informing of the submission and inviting comments on the submission by Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations for a period of 6 months. 
3. Posts received comments and sends them to the proponent.

Upon receiving comments, if any, the proponent may choose to:

• • Address comments (which may include responding to comments without revising the submission) and, if necessary, send a revised submission to the Secretariat
• • Not address comments and not proceed further in the process. If the proponent does not proceed further, a record of the submission and the comments received in response to the notification remain in the ISM, and the actual submission and comments will be available from the Secretariat upon request.
• • Request the Secretariat remove the original submission (and comments) from the ISM.

After addressing the comments, the submission is provided to SBSTTA, and subsequently, COP, for consideration. Prior to SBSTTA, the proponent may also choose to discuss the submission at a CBD EBSA workshop, the outputs of which would then be provided to SBSTTA, and subsequently, COP, for consideration. 

For more information regarding the EBSA process, please refer to the annex to decision 16/16, or the EBSA Handbook. 

In view of the above, this page includes:

• • Records of submissions for modifications or descriptions in areas within national jurisdiction for inclusion in the EBSA repository.
• • Links to notifications regarding those submissions. Comments received in response to each notification will be posted on the same page as the notification.
• • Responses to comments, if applicable.
• • Revised submissions, if applicable.
• • Links to relevant EBSA workshops where the submission will be, or will have been, discussed, if applicable. 

Records of submissions*

Comments on these submissions, using this Template (separate for each submission), may be uploaded through the Clearing-House Mechanism, using this link, or sent by e-mail to the Secretariat (secretariat@cbd.int) by the CBD National Focal Point (with respect to States) or by the head of the organization within the comment period indicated in the table below.

*Prior to being posted on this page, each submission has been reviewed by the Secretariat to ensure that it includes all required information and is in line with the modalities contained in the annex to decision 16/16.

**Please note that some notifications may cover multiple types of submissions, including those for areas within national jurisdiction and beyond national jurisdiction. Please refer to the table above for a specific submission.