Side Event
IMCAM and Marine Biodiversity
Organizer
National Institute for Marine & Coastal Management (RIKZ)
Date and Time
13 February 2004 13:15 - 14:45
<br>In 2001 The Netherlands government initiated a consultative and participatory process aimed at providing practical guidance on better incorporation of CBD elements in both the design and implementation phases of IMCAM projects aimed at IMCAM practitioners. IMCAM approaches are recognised as the most effective tools for implementing the CBD with respect to the conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity. Following a preliminary analysis of numerous IMCAM documents and the execution of three case studies, four topics that required further elaboration and guidance were identified in an Internet-based discussion amongst an international group of ICZM practitioners and specialists in October / November 2002. These are :Ecosystem Approach, Restoration of habitats, Indicators, Incentives <br> In an attempt to narrow the gap between theory and daily practice a number of critical issues were selected for each of the themes above. These issues were discussed in a second six-week online discussion with a world-wide group of ICZM practitioners and specialists in October / November 2003. The critical issues for these themes deal with both conservation of biodiversity and sustainable development. Although it still remains a challenge to find the right balance between biodiversity conservation and the sustainable use of its components, efforts have been made to illustrate pragmatic management approaches for threatened coastal areas by various case studies. A synthesis of the online discussion and the work of assigned specialists in the field of these themes has resulted in a comprehensive guidance document, which aims at assisting the Parties to the Convention in striving for their target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity loss in coastal and marine areas by the year 2010. <br><br> Principal presenters of the guidance document are Carien van Zwol and Joris Geurts van Kessel from the National Institute for Coastal and Marine Management (The Netherlands).