Alongside strengthening the membership, in order to help develop this Plan of Action better communication process are needed for the WCPA - Marine that can enhance our own work and that of our partners.
Some progress is already being made. Over the coming months list-serve systems will be introduced to allow effective sharing of knowledge and information between ‘marine’ members across the WCPA network, as well as to track progress as the Plan develops. The list server initiatives of WCPA Australia and New Zealand, and WCPA – Mountains, provide good models to follow. A list-serve system is already being brought into operation to put WCPA – Marine members in touch worldwide. Within this list-serve communication will also be possible with email groups for the WCPA – Marine Senior Advisory Group, WCPA – Marine regional coordinators and IUCN marine staff. Further email groups may also be introduced for some priority areas, such as High Seas work. A broader list-serve system to bring in all 600+ participants from IMPAC 1 and keep them in touch with events is also being investigated. This electronic communications framework is summarised in Figure 1 and more information will be provided on such developments in the future through the WCPA – Marine website and email.
WCPA Marine Plan of Action
Mission for the Plan of Action
In recent decades, stimulated by a growing awareness of the continual decline in the quality of our oceans and seas, and in recognition of challenges that face us in providing effective stewardship, nations of the world have agreed a number of targets that relate fully or in part to effective implementation of MPAs. Globally these include:
- halting the decline of biodiversity by 2010;
- encouraging the application of the Ecosystem Approach in marine management by 2010;
- establishing representative marine protection networks by 2012; and
- restoring depleted fish stocks to maximum sustainable yields by 2015, where possible;
A range of regional and local commitments also contributes to these global ambitions. The mission of this Plan of Action is, therefore, to support nations in putting in place effective and lasting MPA networks. WCPA – Marine, through this Plan of Action, will work to give significant added value to the global MPA community by enabling greater coherence, providing global leadership, and helping to prioritise its work to complement those actions on MPA networks that are already underway.
Within the context of the overall WCPA Strategic Plan, the mission for WCPA - Marine theme is accordingly:
- "to promote the establishment of a global, representative system of effectively managed and lasting networks of MPAs, as an integral part of the IUCN mission”.
The existing WCPA Strategic Plan also provides important pointers for the future work on MPAs, that should be taken into account when thinking of the priorities for this Plan of Action:
- By 2008 to identify gaps in the coverage of marine protected areas through the development of a comprehensive 5 volume document: “Priorities for the Establishment and Management of Marine Protected Areas”.
- By 2012 ensure the implementation of a global, ecologically representative network of marine protected areas
The Strategic Plan also identifies that WCPA - Marine will also need to work closely with the UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre to enhance the World Database on Protected Areas. This is to:
- Provide and maintain up-to-date information on marine and coastal protected areas within the World Database on Protected Areas
The Protected Area Focus for the Plan of Action
The focus of this Plan of Action is on MPAs. As defined by the IUCN, a marine protected area is:
- “any area of the intertidal or subtidal terrain, together with its overlying water and associated flora, fauna, historical and cultural features, which has been reserved by law or other effective means to protect part or all of the enclosed environment” (Kelleher 1999).
Protection for MPAs can range from areas managed strictly for science or wilderness values, where extractive activities such as mining and fishing are excluded, to areas managed more broadly for the sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystems. IUCN has provided a category system to differentiate the differing levels of management that such areas can be afforded.
more info on the IUCN Protected Area Category System
This Plan of Action recognises that MPAs are a tool, not an end in themselves. They are essential in order to protect marine biodiversity and achieve sustainable fisheries. They provide an insurance against the common global problem of failure of conventional fisheries management based on control of fishing effort and/or take. The contrasting combination of the physical connectivity of seawater combined with the increasingly known genetic isolation of marine species means that networks of MPAs are vital tools to support marine ecosystem health. Networks of MPAs, within single ecosystems but spanning entire seas and ocean realms (such as the High Seas), are necessary to ensure that biological connections are maintained between interdependent MPAs. A common example is where larvae from one MPA support populations of one or more species within other MPAs.
A comprehensive, adequate and representative system of MPA networks can provide protection for all major ecosystem components in conjunction with their characteristic habitats and species at an appropriate scale within and across each bioregion. It would also have the required level of restrictions to ensure that their ecological viability and integrity be effectively managed, addressing the full range of human activities, and be sufficiently duplicative so that a single event, such as an oil spill, would not eradicate that diversity. Given the increasingly degraded nature of the marine environment, high levels of protection are needed for marine ecosystems, to promote the necessary levels of recovery to sustain social and economic interests and regional and global ecological processes, both now and for the long term.
In many regions of the world, one of the main challenges to establish new MPAs is to demonstrate the benefits that they can provide to maintaining and replenishing fisheries stocks to better engage the fishery sector in MPA development and implementation. Implementing the 2012 target requires us to work together with the fishing communities on finding innovative solutions for sustainable fisheries. Involving fishermen and other key stakeholders in MPA design and management, particularly at the community level, has proven very productive in several regions already.
The context and principles for developing a Plan of Action
The previous work of WCPA – Marine, undertaken through the leadership of our previous Vice Chairs, Graeme Kelleher, Nancy Foster and Bud Ehler, provide an important context for this Plan of Action. Over the years the focus has shifted from providing a global review of MPAs (Kelleher, G., Bleakley, C., and Wells, S., (eds.), 1995) to working on distinct projects related to defining and testing application of global best practice guidance, or in support of regional initiatives. For example such projects have been implemented in Samoa, Tanzania and Vietnam.
Previous World Parks Congresses, and more recently the 1st International Marine Protected Area Congress in Geelong Australia in 2005, along with countless other regional conferences, have provided milestone opportunities to review progress and set new agendas. Such events will be even more important in the future as the scale and pace of action on MPAs increases. This Plan of Action, together with a strengthened WCPA – Marine membership and enhanced global and regional communication systems, will help ensure continuity between such events and help the planning and development of new ones, such as the Forth World Conservation Congress to be held in Barcelona in 2008, Durban + 5 also to be held in 2008 (the five year review meeting to assess progress with the Durban Action Plan), IMPAC 2 in 2009, and regional events such as the Latin American Parks Congress in Argentina in 2007. The WCPA – Marine group will ensure that MPAs are a prominent component of all these key events.
Working in tune with the principles underlying the development of the overall WCPA strategic plan, the marine Plan of Action will:
- Be implemented as an integral component of the IUCN programme
- Support the integration of the work of WCPA
- Be undertaken in partnership with key groups and stakeholders
- Deepen and not expand the WCPA work
- Aim to ensure accountability
- Effectively mobilise WCPA regional and thematic membership
- Work with partner organisations to effectively mobilise resources for priority actions
Achieving global outcomes through a strong regional focus
WCPA – Marine has a strong regional focus in taking forward its work. To provide a consistent ecosystem-based approach for the Plan of Action the ecosystem-based regional framework that will be used is that previously employed by WCPA – Marine Vice Chair Graeme Kelleher back in the 1990s. Working with colleagues, the marine areas of the world, including the High Seas (areas beyond national juresdiction) together with national waters, were divided into 18 regions, largely on the basis of biogeographic criteria, but for practical reasons also considering political boundaries (Figure 3).
This framework continues to meet the requirements of WCPA – Marine, and has the added advantage of being sufficiently broad that it can encompass subsequent classification systems that have arisen and that have a more detailed focus and that can ‘nest’ within this framework, such as Large Marine Ecosystems, Marine Eco-Regions, Seascape and Marine Biodiversity Hotspot initiatives. Using such a framework to take forward WCPA – Marine priorities requires regional leadership, and enhanced communications within IUCN/WCPA and with partners, to support information handling within such a broad framework. This communication issue is considered further later in this report.
Managing the ‘WCPA – Marine Plan of Action’ process
The Marine Plan of Action is being led by the WCPA Vice Chair for the Marine Theme, in partnership with the Global Marine and Protected Area Programmes of IUCN, other relevant IUCN Programmes (e.g. the Species Survival Commission), and as advised by a specially appointed Senior Advisory Group for WCPA - Marine, by the WCPA - Marine membership itself, and the WCPA Steering Committee. WCPA – Marine Regional leads are being appointed and WCPA – Marine Special Advisors will be identified in due course to help take our agreed priorities forwards.
The Senior Advisory Group has already being appointed and consists of champions for WCPA - Marine identified from around the world. The length of their membership on the Senior Advisory Group, as with IUCN/WCPA appointments, is linked to when the World Conservation Congresses are held. Accordingly it will be reviewed in 2008 to ensure the membership of the group continues to meet the needs of WCPA – Marine. The current members have been chosen to reflect the wide spectrum of backgrounds and experience that this Plan of Action will need to draw on to ensure success. Appointment to this group is purely in an honorary and advisory capacity; the Vice Chair will take decisions on direction and delivery. The role of this group is to provide the Vice Chair with advice on the overall direction that the Plan of Action should take, as well as supporting and helping enable high-level and other processes needed to deliver the overall aim of the WCPA - Marine theme, including advice on funding. As the Plan of Action develops the role of the Advisory Group will also move to advising on future priorities, in association with special advisors, regional coordinators and partner organisations.
Strenghtening the WCPA Marine Membership
As Marine Protected Area initiatives develop and expand to encompass every coastal country in the world, there is a need to ensure that the WCPA – Marine membership keeps pace with such changes.
The membership of WCPA – Marine needs to continue to be the strongest global network of MPA professionals in the world. It is evident from a membership review and discussions with regional WCPA –Marine experts that the depth and breadth of the membership should continue to expand to keep pace with MPA developments. The membership should include the leading experts that:
- advise on marine ecology/economics and sociology that underpin MPAs;
- are the policy advisors and decision makers that decide on MPAs;
manage MPAs and the associated process, - undertake fundraising, and have the skills to synthesise and present complex issues in a simple manner to a broad audience;
- are the advisors in other sectors that provide valuable contributions to the development of MPAs, such as from fisheries, tourism, and shipping; and
- for those countries currently without MPAs, have the potential to lead the MPA process for their country if the opportunity were there to do so.
Outside the immediate membership of WCPA – Marine a broader audience of individuals involved in MPA issues will be kept in touch through a wider virtual network (see below).
Drawing on these categories of expertise, the aim of WCPA – Marine is, by 2008 at the latest, to have an expanded and balanced membership. This should include a minimum of three members for every country beside an ocean or sea, not forgetting of course more land-bound colleagues who also form an essential part of our strengths as a network. We look to our existing membership, networks and partners world-wide to help us draw readily on untapped marine expertise to appoint into WCPA – Marine. Many regions are now engaging in this exercise, proposing and strengthening their local networks in the process, but we look to more joining this global endeavour to help meet this target.
Enhancing communication systems for WCPA – Marine members
WCPA Marine Communication Framework
Photo: Dan Laffoley
Creating the framework for the Plan of Action
Over the next few years an enormous increase in the world’s marine protection efforts is going to be needed. Such an increase will require that many more MPAs be created and that a significantly larger area of waters, including in the High Seas, comes under protection as part of integrated ocean and sea management. A wider range of ecosystems, ecological processes, habitats, and species will need to be represented within protected areas and effectively networked with one another. To address these needs, WCPA-Marine will need to structure and focus its efforts to where its input can really make a difference. A simple framework is therefore needed within which we can discuss future priorities for our work, both internally and with external partners.
The challenges we face in putting in place MPA networks effectively fall into three main but strongly inter-related areas:
- Improving the coverage of what we have
- Obtaining greater effectiveness out of what we do
- Sustaining what we have into the future
The three themes reflect the major elements of work that are needed to deliver an effectively managed, representative system of marine protected areas and are being used to structure the plan of Action. The themes are shown diagrammatically in Figure 2, and each area is briefly explained in more detail in Table 2 with a clear focus on the outcomes that are being sought and with some examples of what future priorities for WCPA - marine may look like to best achieve this. Structuring information around the three themes provides a simple and flexible framework that can be expanded upon with greater detail at the regional scale.
Figure 2. The three main themes for the WCPA - Marine Plan of Action and how they jointly support the delivery of a global, effectively managed, representative system of marine protected areas as an integral part of the IUCN mission.
main themes for the WCPA - Marine Plan of Action
Photo: Dan Laffoley
Developing the Plan of Action
Some of the overall actions from the Vice Chair and others that are needed to move the WCPA – Marine agenda forward in the coming months are set out in table 2 below. Over the past few months main components in this Plan have been agreed with representatives of WCPA, IUCN and global partners. This consultation version is general and describes the overall agreed framework and processes that we will use to develop the Plan of Action.
Three sequential steps are now needed to deliver the focus, recommendations and priorities that will form the final version of the WCPA - Marine Plan of Action, which will be published in spring 2007.
Step 1: Identifying our future priorities. Using a simple, structured approach undertake a 5 month consultation (August 2006 – December 2006) with WCPA – Members, IUCN programmes and external partners on future priorities. Some initial ideas for priority areas are given in Table 2. The results from this process will be summarised on the WCPA – Marine website. In early 2007 the Vice Chair, advised by the Senior Advisory Group, IUCN’s Global Marine and Protected Area Programmes and global partners, will then undertake a short-listing of the proposals received.
Step 2. Making our priorities happen. Early in 2007 revise the Plan of Action to set out recommendations made during the consultation and a short list of WCPA – Marine priorities for future work. An invitation will then be made to the WCPA – Marine membership and partner organisations to offer their time, expertise and other resources (the ‘offer’ process) to deliver these primary products on behalf of the global MPA community.
Step 3. Publishing and promoting our Plan of Action. Using the capacity and skills developed from the ‘offer’ process produce the final version of the Plan of Action containing descriptions of the primary products on which WCPA – Marine and partners will focus action in the coming years. The plan will be actively promoted at global and regional levels as to identify new partners that can be involved in and supportive of its implementation.
Table 2
Table 2. The themes and outcomes for the WCPA – Marine Plan of Action, with examples of possible priority areas for future work to help guide submissions for future WCPA - priorities.
|
WCPA – Marine |
WCPA - Marine |
Examples of possible future |
|
Improving the coverage of what we have |
Implementation of comprehensive, adequate and representative MPA networks. |
Regionally-based gap analysis with identification of constraints, opportunities and regional priorities for global actions. Continued actions to support known gaps in MPA coverage, e.g. the High Seas. Best practice and guidance to capacity build and transfer knowledge, e.g. WCPA guidance on building networks of MPAs. |
|
Accurate data on MPAs held in the UNEP – WCMC World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA). |
Regular reporting from regional MPA databases into the WDPA, with additional updates through the gap analysis identified above. |
|
|
Obtaining greater effectiveness out of what we do |
Effective partnership working with other IUCN Programmes and Commissions and with partner organisations. |
At the science for management level: better use of existing information held within IUCN, WCPA, and by partner organisations to support the development of MPA networks. At the site level: best practice guidance to deliver effective management of MPAs. At the network level: refined IUCN category system increasing clarity and enhancing the network potential. At the partnership level: a web portal to provide greater coherence, synergy and communications within IUCN and WCPA, and with partner organisations. |
|
Sustaining what we have into the future |
Planning for the future and building actions now to sustain and grow work on MPA networks. |
Best practice advice on sustainable financing for MPAs and networks. Creating opportunities to educate the younger generation so they actively care about the state of our seas. Supporting and convening major conferences and events (e.g. IMPAC 2) to share knowledge and develop new strategic directions. Producing regional adaptation programmes to sustain ecological, economic and social values in the future in the face of climate change and surface ocean acidification. |
| Sustaining what we have into the future |
Planning for the future and building actions now to sustain and grow work on MPA networks.
|
Best practice advice on sustainable financing for MPAs and networks. Creating opportunities to educate the younger generation so they actively care about the state of our seas. Supporting and convening major conferences and events (e.g. IMPAC 2) to share knowledge and develop new strategic directions. Producing regional adaptation programmes to sustain ecological, economic and social values in the future in the face of climate change and surface ocean acidification. |
Developing the Plan of Action
In step 1 (above) a simple structured process is needed to capture knowledge experience and advice on future priorities. WCPA – Marine members and partner organisations working at regional and global levels are invited to submit proposals for future WCPA – Marine priorities on the form provided in Annex 2.
Members and global partners will have their own ideas but proposals could, for example, focus on:
- following up the 1995 five volume set on MPAs to support commitments that countries have made under the Protected Areas Program of Work of the Convention on Biological Diversity to conduct gap analyses of their Protected Area systems. Thought is needed on how an investment in such a document would likely be used;
developing a WCPA – Marine web portal to provide a global communications capability of knowledge and experience on MPAs;
making the case for the benefits of marine protected areas beyond the conservation of biodiversity. This is controversial and continued scientific work would be useful, as well as opening up a greater dialogue between fisheries and MPA interests; - working closely with IUCN’s Special Survival Commission, to ensure that effective use is made of status information on marine species when proposing and managing MPAs;
- ensuring the effectiveness of the management of MPAs, following up on guidance already developed by WCPA – Marine and others;
developing the IUCN categories for better application to MPAs and MPA networks. Participation by WCPA – Marine in the categories summit in 2007 and follow-up actions will be important
increasing the number of World Heritage marine sites, through capacity building, evaluation of new nominations, monitoring of current sites, and the development of a World Heritage ‘marine’ global strategy. - Developing guidance on the design of networks of MPAs, with emphasis on the key problems and challenges Again, important and worth more work; or
- Addressing the confounding sets of problems which global warming offers to the viability of MPAs and the marine life in them. How do we take these probable changes into account?
In making proposals it will be important to:
- co-ordinate views and agree on priorities to propose, with MPA colleagues within your regions. To help you to do this a list of WCPA – Marine regional leads is provided in Annex 3 and a list of corresponding IUCN contacts in Annex 4. Please check the WCPA – Marine website for the latest WCPA contact points. If a coordinator is not appointed contact other WCPA – Marine members for your region and make a proposal to Dan laffoley.
- State your priorities! Even if you see your thoughts already reflected in this draft, please submit your priorities so they can be taken into account in the Plan of Action.
- ensure that your proposals are high level and strategic, in that they address or support MPA issues across significant parts of the WCPA – Marine region, the region as a whole or at even more global scales.
keep any proposals short. Please use the form provided in Annex 3 to do this. Proposals should be formulated to provide added value to existing work, fill gaps in action or tackle emerging issues.
provide key details including identifying a clear deliverable, timetable, potential or actual partners and giving an estimate of likely costs.
Ensure your proposals are tied into the ecosystem-based WCPA – Marine regions. These are set out in Figure 1 and a box is provided in the form in Annex 3 to indicate to which WCPA – Marine region your ideas would apply.
Completed proposals, ideally submitted via WCPA – Marine regional leads, should be sent no later than 31 December 2006 to:
Dan Laffoley, WCPA Vice Chair – Marine
Email: mailto:Dan.laffoley@googlemail.com
Implementing themes and priorities - the offer process
In step 2 (above) an ‘offer process’ will be established with WCPA - Marine members focussing just on the short-listed priorities. This will see what capacity can be offered up from individuals or regions to contribute to, and to help lead and/or coordinate these major themes and priority projects.
Matching the ‘offers’ received to create a workable and effective framework will need leadership, discussion and decisions to be taken. It may not be in all cases that ‘offers’ can be taken up in the original form they are made, or indeed that all ‘offers’ can be taken up, especially in areas where a critical mass of support has not been met in order to make the proposal fully viable. Where it is not possible to take up a particular ‘offer’ this should not be seen as attaching a lower priority to that issue compared to any other. It is merely a reflection of the challenges involved in converting ‘offers’ into practical propositions.
Through the offer process we will also identify regions that would wish to ‘showcase’ their work more broadly, or be a focus for some dedicated MPA development initiatives. We will also seek volunteers to ensure that priority work for WCPA – Marine, just like this Plan of Action, is made available in Spanish and French.
The final phase will then be to take the ‘offers’ and convert them into discreet project proposals and publish them as the final version of the Plan of Action.
The same ‘offer’ process will be used with other WCPA Commissions and IUCN programmes to identify major areas of synergy, joint working and/or where joint proposals could be developed and sustained. The process will also be established with key global partners and the major representatives in the donor community.
This approach will make it possible to effectively draw on the strengths of the membership of WCPA - Marine, WCPA generally, relevant IUCN programmes and partner organisations. This is to ensure that additional funding requirements are well focussed, to work with partners in a more coordinated way, and to see in a consistent manner how activities within WCPA regions and themes contribute and help deliver agreed global goals. The themes and priority outcomes will also be used as a framework to help decide where and when WCPA – Marine endorsement should be used for marine initiatives.
A rolling timetable will be developed to take forward a key product or outcome each year, along the lines of how WCPA Mountains have organised their work. We will also seek demonstration projects and ‘showcase’ regions to illustrate to others good practice on developing MPA networks for the priorities we have chosen. Subject to sufficient funding and support from within WCPA – Marine and partner organisations, an annual event or events on a particular theme, region or project will be organised. This could be in association, for example, with ongoing regional or global initiatives (e.g. IMPAC 2), and with World Heritage, the Management Effectiveness work stream, or work surrounding the World Database on Protected Areas.
A few Final Words
This is your opportunity to help shape and play an active role in WCPA – Marine activities, and work with and support your colleagues around the world in implementing effective and lasting networks of MPAs. Over the next six months as we seek views on future work and how the priorities we identify might be implemented. ‘Silence’ from the membership of WCPA – Marine will be taken as agreement - so please provide us with your views and advice to help develop this Plan of Action.
Together we can make a real lasting difference. This WCPA – Marine Plan of Action is a real opportunity for you to provide added impetus and focus, and to help enhance what we are all already achieving.
Table 3. Some key actions for 2006/07 to move the WCPA – Marine agenda forward
- Appoint the Senior Advisory Group.
- Contact other WCPA Vice Chairs and Heads of IUCN Programmes to brief them and seek their views.
- Hold meetings and discussions with key partner organisations and seek their views on the Plan of Action concept and how to take it forward.
- Provide a first pre-consultation draft of the Plan of Action to stimulate discussion and the flow of ideas.
- Attend key conferences and provide presentations to reach a broader audience, as well as publicising through MPA News and other avenues.
- Begin a process to strategically strengthen WCPA – Marine membership and develop the WCPA – Marine website.
- Use the Plan of Action to focus discussions on what shape and form future WCPA – Marine work should take – what should our priorities be?
- Consult electronically, through meetings, and through the Senior Advisory Group with WCPA – Marine members, IUCN programmes and external partners and experts on future priorities for WCPA - Marine
- Review proposals received on WCPA – Marine priorities, agree priorities and revise the Plan of Action to set out the priorities for future work.
- Implement agreed priorities through partnership working and through an ‘offer’ process inside IUCN and WCPA, and with partner organisation, both to build and focus capacity and to generate joint funding proposals.
- Through the ‘offer process’ identify regional leads and appoint Special Advisors on themes and projects.
- Revise the Plan of Action to include priority projects and details of partnership working.
- Begin development of a new WCPA - Marine global priority programmes.
WCPA Marine Map
The ecosystem-based regional framework used by the WCPA – Marine Plan of Action (from: Kelleher, G., Bleakley, C., and Wells, S., (eds.), 1995. A global representative system of marine protected areas. Volume 1. Antarctic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Northwest Atlantic, Northeast Atlantic and Baltic. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, The World Bank, The World Conservation Union (IUCN).)
The ecosystem-based regional framework used by the WCPA – Marine Plan of Action
Photo: (from: Kelleher, G., Bleakley, C., and Wells, S., (eds.), 1995. A global representative system of marine protected areas. Volume 1. Antarctic, Arctic, Mediterranean, Northwest Atlantic, Northeast Atlantic and Baltic. Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority, The World Bank, The World Conservation Union (IUCN).)
