Notification 2012-152

Dear Madam/Sir, Reference is made to the earlier notifications sent to CBD National Focal Points and SBSTTA Focal Points as well as competent organizations and regional initiatives regarding the nomination of experts to upcoming CBD regional workshops to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs), respectively, in: i) the South-Eastern Atlantic region (notifications: 2012-133, dated 2 Oct 2012; 2012-134, dated 4 Oct 2012; 2012-141, dated 15 Nov; 2012-142, dated 20 Nov 2012), and ii) the North Pacific region (notifications: 2012-137, dated 6 Nov 2012; 2012-139, dated 8 Nov 2012) The Conference of the Parties to the Convention, at its 10th meeting, requested the Executive Secretary to work with Parties and other Governments as well as competent organizations and regional initiatives, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), regional seas conventions and action plans, and, where appropriate, regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs), with regards to fisheries management, to organize, including the setting of terms of reference, a series of regional workshops with a primary objective to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas through application of scientific criteria in annex I of decision IX/20 as well as other relevant compatible and complementary nationally and intergovernmentally agreed scientific criteria, as well as the scientific guidance on the identification of marine areas beyond national jurisdiction, which meet the scientific criteria in annex I to decision IX/20 (paragraph 36, decision X/29). At its 11th meeting, the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary to further collaborate with Parties, other Governments, competent organizations, and global and regional initiatives, and also including the participation of indigenous and local communities, to organize additional regional or subregional workshops for the remaining regions or subregions where Parties wish workshops to be held (paragraph 12, decision XI/17). Pursuant to the above requests, these regional workshops are being convened by the CBD Secretariat in collaboration with, respectively, i) the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Abidjan Convention Secretariat; and ii) the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC), the North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES), and the Action Plan for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Northwest Pacific Region) (NOWPAP), both with financial support from the Government of Japan. In order to prepare necessary scientific input to the workshops in a timely manner, Parties and other Governments as well as competent organizations, regional initiatives and indigenous and local communities (ILCs) are invited to provide relevant scientific information in support of the objectives of the above-mentioned workshops, as soon as possible to allow enough time for the Secretariat to compile and collate submitted information, but no later than 1 February for the North Pacific and 15 March for the South-Eastern Atlantic region / West Africa. Relevant scientific information can be submitted in two ways: (1) by using the EBSA information template attached as an appendix to this letter, or (2) through another appropriate format, such as scientific articles, documents, datasets, maps or visual and audio information. Information should contribute to the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas through application of scientific criteria in annex I of decision IX/20 (http://www.cbd.int/decision/cop/?id=11663) as well as other relevant compatible and complementary nationally and intergovernmentally agreed scientific criteria. Submission of information should be made to the CBD Secretariat by the above deadline (via an email addressed to secretariat@cbd.int or faxed to +1 514 288-6588). Kindly indicate clearly the workshop for which the information is intended. Please note that all the submitted information will be available only for consideration by the above-mentioned workshops. The information considered by the workshops will be kept in the CBD EBSA information-sharing mechanism, as called for by COP 11 in decision XI/17, paragraph 16, in accordance with the guidance provided in this decision. I thank you in advance for your continued cooperation with the work of the Convention. Please accept, Madam/Sir, the assurances of my highest consideration.

Executive Secretary

To: CBD National Focal Points, SBSTTA Focal Points; FAO; regional seas conventions and action plans and RFMOs in the North Pacific and South-Eastern Atlantic regions; Abidjan Convention Secretariat, IOC–UNESCO, IOC–WESTPAC, NOWPAP, PICES, OBIS, ISA, UNEP-WCMC, GOBI, other competent organizations and regional initiatives, and ILCs