CBD and the Jakarta Mandate
As part of its Jakarta Mandate on marine and coastal biodiversity, the Convention on Biological Diversity is committed to a series of specific goals including the development of a global system of marine and coastal protected areas, the establishment of and implementation of a global program of making fisheries and mariculture sustainable, blocking the pathways of invasions of alien species, increasing ecosystem resilience to climate change, and developing, encouraging, and enhancing implementation of wide-ranging integrated marine and coastal area management (IMCAM) that includes a broad suite of measures at all levels of society. The latter of these is of particular importance, involving comprehensive assessments, setting of objectives, planning and management of marine and coastal areas for all relevant economic and social sectors. It is a participatory process of combining all aspects of the physical, biological and human components of the marine and coastal areas within a holistic management framework. It involves all stakeholders – decision-makers in the public and private sectors; resource owners and users; managers and users; non-governmental organisations and the general public.
That is vital, because incorporating and empowering all sectors – from small coastal communities to political interests – and operating on a variety of levels, including voluntary community participation and legally binding frameworks, will be essential if we are to tackle the immensity and scope of the problems affecting marine and coastal biodiversity.
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