Nairobi, Apia, Honolulu, 18 July 2006 - Action is needed to conserve mangroves in the Pacific amid concern that rising sea levels, linked with climate change, are set to drown large areas of these precious and economically important ecosystems. more ...
Action Urged to Avoid Deep Trouble in the Deep Seas
New York, 16 June 2006 - Swift and wide ranging actions are needed to conserve the world’s entire marine environment amid fears that humankind’s exploitation of the deep seas and open oceans is rapidly passing the point of no return. more ...
Financing for the Environmental Conservation of the Rea Sea and Gulf of Aden
UNEP Regional Seas Programme (UNEP RSP) in collaboration with the GPA’s financing programme and the Regional Environment Programme for the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden (PERSGA), published the report “Financing for the Environmental Conservation of the Rea Sea and Gulf of Aden” in January 2006. The report focuses on three financing challenges facing PERSGA, reviews the financing mechanisms available to support environmental activities, and presents methods, tools and options to strengthen the implementation of PERSGA at both the regional and national level. The report presents the fundamentals of environmental financing, addresses financing for protection of the marine environment from land-based sources, and highlights the financial constraints and prioritization of PERSGA’s action. When the report was presented at the 7th Global Meeting of the Regional Seas, 18-20th October 2005 in Helsinki, Finland, other RSPs found the report to be highly valuable and relevant to their own programmes, and recommended that it be adapted into a global version, with wider applicability, which is currently being done. [Download]
UN Coordination on Marine Protected Areas
During the Third Global Conference on Islands, Coasts and Oceans in Paris in January 2006, UNEP RSP formed a “United Nations Partnership” on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) with the UNESCO-Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO-World Heritage Convention, UNESCO- Man and Biosphere, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), initially aimed at sharing and make available information on current activities and identifying primary areas for cooperation. The partnership will consider needs and modalities for further collaboration among the participating agencies and identify activities to be implemented in the short-term and their associated costs, with a view to mobilize internal or additional resources to perform the tasks. This informal partnership may propose to formalize itself as a MPA task force under UN-OCEANS at its next meeting.more...
The 2nd IMO/UNEP Forum
The 2nd IMO/UNEP Forum on Regional Co-operation in Combating Marine Pollution (London 3-6 May 2006) was organized by IMO’s Marine Environment Division and UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme. The first forum was held in October 2002. Participants were mainly Regional Seas coordinators, directors of oil spill preparedness and Response RACs and relevant representatives of the oil and shipping industries. The meeting, which aimed at bringing various regions together for experience and knowledge sharing and exchange, focused on presentations and subsequent discussions on topics related to oil spill preparedness and response, mainly in the regional and sub-regional levels. The main topics discussed: Legal and institutional frameworks and instruments for cooperation; Regional Activity Centres-advantages and challenges; Case studies in response and cooperation; Cooperation with the industry; Emerging topics and new challenges (including a presentation by Ulrik Weuder on economic instruments).The Forum concluded its work by producing a series of conclusions and recommendations to IMO, UNEP, the various RSPs and the industry.
The final recommendations focused on the following subjects:
Critical elements for strong regional cooperation;
Key elements to ensure long term sustainability and success of regional cooperation;
Ways to overcome barriers in regional cooperation;
Bridging gaps between partners with differing levels of capacity;
Cooperation between governments and industry;
Engagement of relevant partners; legal frameworks;
the Regional Activity Centers as platforms for regional cooperation.
Regional Seas and Invasive Species
UNEP RSP is currently supporting the Global Invasive Species Programme (GISP) for the development of:
1. a brochure on Marine Invasive Species and the Regional Seas Programme and
2. a needs assessment in the Regional Seas programmes on Marine and Coastal IAS. more...
GEF MSP Management of Marine Litter
UNEP RSP has developed a draft Global Environment Facility Medium-Sized Project (GEF-MSP) on the sustainable management of marine litter, designed to accelerate international action to reduce the entry of litter into the ocean on a global scale. The objectives of this project are: 1) to develop assessment and review mechanisms relating to marine litter mitigation and prevention applicable at the regional level; 2) apply these mechanisms in selected pilot regions as a basis for formulating regional action plans for addressing the problem of marine litter; and 3) to review and evaluate the pilot regional applications of the procedures, as a means of preparing a globally-applicable framework for the implementation of measures to reduce marine litter from all sources at regional levels, which include indicators of success.
UNEP Regional Seas action on the West African Manatee
UNEP/RSP is supporting the Abidjan Convention (the Regional Seas programme for Western Africa) in the preparation of a Regional Status report and preliminary Conservation Strategy for the West African Manatee (Trichechus senegalensis) throughout its range. The activity started at the end of 2005. The Conservation Strategy will include a current status report of the West African Manatee, identification of threats and recommendations for protection, including a description of the roles of different stakeholders. Sirennews [377kb]
UNEP and CMS Conserving Marine Mammals
UNEP RSP is supporting the Agreement on the Conservation of Cetaceans in the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Seas and the Contiguous Atlantic Area (ACCOBAMS) for the further development of a Pedagogic Training Kit on Cetaceans in the ACCOBAMS area. more...
Review of Small Cetaceans: Distribution, Behaviour, Migration and Threats
