Regional Oceans Governance. Making Regional Seas Programmes, Regional Fishery Bodies and Large Marine Ecosystem Mechanisms Work Better Together

摘要

Oceans are of vital importance to the international community, not only for theirliving and non-living resources and the shipping and other maritime uses theyfacilitate, but also for the key role they play in the global climate and weather system.The marine environment, its resources, and its biodiversity are increasing threatenedby human activities, both maritime and terrestrial. Anthropogenic climate change, seabasedand land-based pollution, habitat destruction, introduction of alien species,over-exploitation of non-renewable resources, and destructive fishing practices areamong the most serious threats. While each of these threats requires dedicated,separate attention, there is increasingly wide support for more holistic and integratedgovernance approaches that take account of the spatial dimension and functioning ofecosystems. This paper refers to such approaches as “ecosystem-based management”(EBM).The following three types of regional oceans governance mechanisms are reviewed inthis paper:(a) Regional Seas programmes, most of which are supported or coordinated by theUnited Nations Environment Programme (UNEP);(b) Regional fishery bodies (RFBs), some of which have been established underthe framework of the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO); and(c) Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) mechanisms, most of which are projectssupported by the Global Environment Facility (GEF).This review is intended to assist states that participate in existing regional oceansgovernance mechanisms, as well as those that are considering participating, byclarifying the key distinctions between their mandates, highlighting the successes andchallenges of existing mechanisms, and outlining cooperation and coordinationefforts. Options are identified for strengthening existing mechanisms and cooperationand coordination between them, as well as for the creation of new regional oceansgovernance mechanisms, with particular reference to EBM.