Template for the submission to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity of new descriptions, and modifications to existing descriptions, of areas meeting the scientific criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas (EBSAs)

Important: For areas beyond national jurisdiction, submissions can be provided by any States, individually or collectively, including through competent intergovernmental organizations. For areas within national jurisdiction, submissions can be provided by the State within whose jurisdiction the modification or description is proposed. In cases where a submission includes multiple areas within national jurisdiction, all States that have jurisdiction over the area concerned must consent to and be involved in the submission, which should be jointly submitted to the Secretariat and accompanied by formal letters from the respective CBD National Focal Points.

All submissions must be accompanied by a formal letter to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) by the CBD National Focal Point (with respect to States) or by the head of the Secretariat (e.g., Executive Secretary) (with respect to competent intergovernmental organizations).

Completed templates (in Microsoft Word format) or questions regarding the template should be sent to secretariat@cbd.int, along with any accompanying documentation.

Name of the area:

Submitted by:

Type of submission (choose one option):

[ ] Description of a new area

[ ] Modification of an existing description (Provide the name of the existing description and ensure that changes to the existing description are clearly indicated, either using “track changes” or providing a short overview at the beginning of each section to explain what has changed from the original version)

If the submission is regarding the modification of an existing EBSA description, provide the reason for the modification:

How was the submission developed?

(This should include information about any scientific peer-review process, and, in cases where information based on traditional knowledge is included, any information on consultations with indigenous peoples and local communities conducted with their free, prior and informed consent. This information may either be included in the template or provided separately.)

Where is the submission intended to be included (choose one option, and please note that there are different procedures for these two intended end points)?

[ ] EBSA repository

[ ] EBSA information-sharing mechanism

Abstract (in less than 150 words):

Introduction:

Location:

(Geographic coordinates and a map of the area are required. If possible, please also provide GIS data.)

Feature description of the proposed area:

(Information about the ecological/biological characteristics of the feature(s) being described. This should be supported where possible with maps, models, or relevant analyses.)

Feature condition and future outlook of the proposed area:

(Description of the current condition of the area – e.g., static, declining, or improving—and whether there are particular vulnerabilities.)

Assessment of the area against CBD EBSA Criteria:

(Provide a ranking of the area in relation to each of the EBSA criteria and an explanation for this ranking. Please also note where there are significant information gaps. Please also explain the scale at which you have evaluated the area against the criteria—e.g., with respect to “uniqueness or rarity”, is the area considered unique or rare at the national, regional, or global scale?)

CBD EBSA Criteria (Annex I to decision IX/20)	Description (Annex I to decision IX/20)	Ranking of criterion relevance (please mark one column with an X)
No information	Low	Medium	High
Uniqueness or rarity	Area contains either (i) unique (“the only one of its kind”), rare (occurs only in few locations) or endemic species, populations or communities, and/or (ii) unique, rare or distinct, habitats or ecosystems; and/or (iii) unique or unusual geomorphological or oceanographic features.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)
Special importance for life-history stages of species	Areas that are required for a population to survive and thrive.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)
Importance for threatened, endangered or declining species and/or habitats	Area containing habitat for the survival and recovery of endangered, threatened, declining species or area with significant assemblages of such species.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)
Vulnerability, fragility, sensitivity, or slow recovery	Areas that contain a relatively high proportion of sensitive habitats, biotopes or species that are functionally fragile (highly susceptible to degradation or depletion by human activity or by natural events) or with slow recovery.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)
Biological productivity	Area containing species, populations or communities with comparatively higher natural biological productivity.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)
Biological diversity	Area contains comparatively higher diversity of ecosystems, habitats, communities, or species, or has higher genetic diversity.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)
Naturalness	Area with a comparatively higher degree of naturalness as a result of the lack of or low level of human-induced disturbance or degradation.
Provide explanation for ranking (accompanied by references)

References:

(e.g., relevant documents, data sets, models)

Maps and Figures:

Rights and permissions:

(Indicate if there are any known issues with giving permission to share or publish these data and any conditions of publication.)