Report of the Western South Pacific regionally workshop to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas : subsidiary body on scientific, technical and technological advice sixth meeting, Montreal, 30 April - 5 May 2012

Abstract

At its tenth meeting, the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (COP 10) requested the Executive Secretary to work with Parties and other Government as well as competent organisations and regional initiatives, such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAo), regional seas conventions and action plans, and where appropriate, regional fisheries management organisations (RFMOs), with regards to fisheries management, to organise, including the setting of terms of reference, a series of regional workshop, with a primary objective to facilitate the description of ecologically or biologically significant marine areas through the application of scientific criteria in annex 1 to 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 1 to decision IX/20.