New report: Integrated Ocean Management for the Conservation and Sustainable Use of ABNJ in the Southeast Atlantic and Southeast Pacific

The STRONG High Seas project has published a new report providing an overview of challenges and opportunities for integrated ocean management (IOM) in the Southeast Atlantic and Southeast Pacific regions and recommendations to enhance IOM for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) in these regions.

Measures to support conservation efforts must consider cumulative pressures on the marine environment, including climate change impacts, as well as connectivity to achieve biodiversity protection. Moreover, the complexity and dynamic nature of the ocean, including in ABNJ, requires that conservation efforts acknowledge uncertainty, include options to address it or adapt swiftly to new scientific information, and consider the three-dimensional space of the ocean. Therefore, IOM is increasingly important to address the challenges facing the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ.

This report is aiming at promoting IOM for ABNJ across sectors and ecological dimensions to support effective conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in ABNJ by considering the application of enabling conditions to achieve cooperation and collaboration between the various actors working in ABNJ.

Focusing specifically on the focal regions of the STRONG High Seas project, the report is intending to provide States within these two regions with a basis for reflections on what IOM entails, possible roles, and responsibilities for actors to pursue it and therefore support future discussions and actions in this matter.

The report can be found here: [English] / [Français]/ [Español]