Notification 2013-106

Dear Madam/Sir, Reference is made to the earlier notification, dated 23 September 2013, regarding the nomination of experts to the CBD Arctic Regional Workshop to Facilitate the Description of Ecologically or Biologically Significant Marine Areas (EBSAs), 3 to 7 March 2014, in Helsinki, Finland. In decision X/29, the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity requested the Executive Secretary to organize a series of regional workshops, with a primary objective to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas through application of the 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. At its eleventh meeting, the Conference of the Parties requested the Executive Secretary 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). In these two decisions, the COP further requested the Executive Secretary to work with Parties and other Governments, as well as competent organizations and global and regional initiatives, and also including the participation of indigenous and local communities, in organizing the above regional workshops. Pursuant to the above requests, this regional workshop is being convened by the CBD Secretariat with financial support from the Government of Finland in collaboration with various relevant partners including the Working Groups of the Arctic Council. In order to prepare necessary scientific input to the workshop in a timely manner, you are invited to provide relevant scientific information in support of the objectives of the above-mentioned workshop, as soon as possible to allow enough time for the Secretariat to compile and collate submitted information, but no later than Monday, 3 February 2014. 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 for your continued support of 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; other Governments; relevant Permanent Participants and Working Groups of the Arctic Council; International Maritime Organization (IMO); Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO); United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (UNDOALOS); United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)–Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC); World Conservation Monitoring Centre of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP-WCMC); Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI); relevant regional seas conventions and action plans; relevant regional fisheries management organizations (RFMOs); and other relevant organizations and regional initiatives; indigenous and local communities (ILCs)