Targeting development assistance to meet WSSD goals for large marine ecosystems and small island developing states

Global commitments agreed in the last two years at Doha, Monterrey, and Johannesburg represent the potential for a political turning point in reversing the degradation of coastal and large marine ecosystems (LMEs). International finance institutions, bilateral donor agencies, international organizations, and governments of the North and South all align their policies and programs if progress is to be made. Since 1992, the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has supported countries to address Chapter 17 of Agenda 21, and in early 2003 GEF adjusted its strategic priorities to align with World Summit targets. This paper outlines GEF support in targeting development assistance for countries in the biodiversity and international waters focal areas related to oceans, coasts, and islands since 1992 with a focus on large marine ecosystems and small island developing states. Examples of GEF projects are provided that illustrate interventions at different scales for coastal and marine systems. Since 1991, GEF has approved 47 projects in its international waters focal area for $454 million GEF and $1.49 billion in total cost as well as 58 projects in the biodiversity area for $330 million from GEF and $1.22 billion in total cost for some 118 countries supporting coastal and marine ecosystem interventions described in the World Summit's Plan of Implementation. While GEF has become the top source of financial assistance for reversing degradation of oceans, coasts, and islands, the pilot scale activities it is able to fund need to be scaled up to meet global poverty reduction, economic security, and World Summit targets through partnerships for individual LMEs.     

基于人类命运共同体的我国海洋防灾减灾体系建设

随着全球气候变化加剧,海洋灾害发生的可能性变得越来越大,为了减少海洋灾害造成的损害后果,以及能够在共同面对海洋灾害风险中承担起大国责任,我国需要建立完善的国内海洋防灾救灾体系与灾害防御国际合作机制。通过阐述海洋灾害防御的国际合作模式,分析当前我国参与的国际合作以及其中存在的问题,进而对如何完善我国海洋灾害防御国际合作机制以及构建具有中国特色的海洋灾害风险管理体制进行探讨,以期得到稳定的海洋环境,更好地构建海洋命运共同体与人类命运共同体。     

The impact of OSPAR on protected area management beyond national jurisdiction: Effective regional cooperation or a network of paper parks?

Various international treaty bodies and non-governmental organisations continuously urge States to establish a network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) in areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction (ABNJ). Although this goal is far from being reached, the OSPAR Convention may serve as an example illustrating the efforts made on a regional level for the North-East Atlantic. However, these efforts to effectively protect the marine environment are subject to limitations under the Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Likewise, the OSPAR Convention itself restricts the scope of such protected areas. The OSPAR Convention does not adequately cover all human uses of the oceans that may interfere with a protected area, and it lacks opportunities for internationalised enforcement measures. Consequently, the responsibility for effective conservation measures under the OSPAR model ultimately remains with individual Contracting Parties, i.e. their commitment to set stricter standards and to agree on their enforcement. Nevertheless, ‘soft’ obligations such as reporting duties are suitable for collecting data on the need for protection and utilisation of the MPAs. Additionally, cooperation with regional fisheries management bodies allows for better protection of the living resources in these areas. Finally, OSPAR MPAs can draw attention to particularly vulnerable ecosystems and promote conservation standards and measures such as those developed under the auspices of the FAO.     

Protecting the North-East Atlantic: enhancing synergies by institutional interplay

This article examines the interplay between three different international institutions on marine pollution in the North Sea and the wider North-East Atlantic: the International North Sea Conferences (INSC), the OSPAR-Convention and preceding conventions as well as the European Union (EU). It argues that interplay between these institutions have proved synergetic in two ways. First, the INSC-process has speeded up decision-making within OSPAR and the EU by means of leadership, change in membership and institutional arrangements. Second, OSPAR and the EU have subsequently facilitated domestic implementation of the North Sea Conference Declarations by means of higher authoritativeness and enforcement competence. These three institutions have fulfilled different functions all of which are needed to make international environmental cooperation effective.     

我国海洋科技发展与“一带一路”国家合作研究

21世纪是"海洋的世纪",发展海洋事业已成为全世界的一种广泛共识。党的十九大提出了"坚持陆海统筹,加快建设海洋强国"的重大战略部署,海上合作是"一带一路"建设聚焦的重点领域之一。在新的形势下,通过全面总结我国海洋科技进展,系统分析"一带一路"国家海洋科技合作重点领域情况,我国应在已有良好合作的基础上,更进一步推进双边海洋科技合作伙伴关系,建立海洋领域联合研究中心,结合重点方向,积极开展联合科学研究和技术应用,实现技术装备和数据产品的共享,促进海洋经济发展,加强海洋技术的转移转化,开展人员交流培训和合作研究,互学互鉴、互利共赢,提升我国海洋科技的创新力和国际影响力,加快构建海洋命运共同体,为推动人类命运共同体作出积极贡献。     

Integrated management of marine biodiversity in Europe: Perspectives from ICZM and the evolving EU Maritime Policy framework

Biological diversity, or biodiversity, is high on the international agenda for nature conservation. Marine and coastal ecosystems account for an important share of the biological diversity on Earth. As a consequence many international conventions, European legislation and national laws refer to marine biodiversity. The protection of marine biodiversity is a complex legal issue as it requires consideration of geographic (between land and sea), political (between conservation and exploitation), and economic (between fisheries, tourism, intellectual property and many other sectors) factors. Like Matryoshka dolls, marine biodiversity is a heterogeneous notion difficult to address as one discrete area in the development of policy agendas or juridical frameworks. In the past decade, the EU has been very active in Promoting Integrated Coastal Zone Management and in developing a framework for an Integrated Maritime Policy. This article reviews the status of marine biodiversity in the policy and legal initiatives of the European Union, a challenging issue to both the objectives of conservation and to the concept of integration.     

海洋中锰的生物地球化学循环研究

痕量元素在海洋生物地球化学循环中起的作用已受到越来越广泛的关注,近年来形成了新的国际科学计划———痕量元素及其同位素的海洋生物地球化学研究(GEOTRACES)。锰是GEOTRACES关键参数之一,国际GEOTRACES组织推荐各国组织的GEOTRACES航次对其在全球大洋中的分布进行重点研究。本研究就痕量元素锰的海洋生物地球化学研究进行了较为详细的综述,介绍了锰在海洋中的来源及输送通量、分布、水体中的赋存形式及其迁移转化、生态学功能以及主要的分析方法等。总结了在这一研究领域所取得的成果及存在的不足,并对今后的发展方向进行展望。     

An NGO role in enhancing integrated coastal management in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea: The MEDCOAST experience

In the early 1990s, integrated coastal management (ICM) in the Mediterranean basin found general acceptance as an important issue both at national and international levels, and since then it has been, though slowly, steadily developed. Donor organizations such as the European Union and the World Bank, and the UNEP's Mediterranean Action Plan played catalyst roles in this development by initiating and supporting pilot projects. In 1992, the European Union launched the Mediterranean programs in by 1999 which the environment, and especially the coastal environment, was considered as a priority issue. Parallel to this development, several NGO initiatives took place for public awareness on pressing coastal issues and in training and education. The idea of MEDCOAST, which is an NGO network of Euro-Mediterranean academic institutions, was born in 1990 and the new initiative was launched in two directions in 1993. One of these was the organization of the First International Conference on the Mediterranean Coastal Environment (2–5 November 1993, Antalya, Turkey), which placed strong emphasis on the management issues. The second was the development of a project proposal to the Med-Campus program of the European Union. The project, which had the title of Educational Programs in Coastal Zone Management, was selected for funding and became operational in early 1994. The first international training program organized by MEDCOAST was the MEDCOAST Institute 94: Coastal Zone Management in the Mediterranean. This three-week long training effort took place in August–September 1994. Since then, MEDCOAST organized eight training programs in by 1999 five different countries, which were participated by 173 professionals representing 31 countries. Development of an international Masters Degree program in ICM was the second goal of the MEDCOAST's Med-Campus project. Efforts for pursuing this goal are still continuing. This paper elaborates the potential for the NGO's contribution to training and education in the field of integrated coastal management in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea by introducing the MEDCOAST experience. It presents the past and planned MEDCOAST efforts and discusses the strengths and limitations of the role of NGOs at the regional scale.     

Estimation of fisheries removals and primary economic impact of the small-scale and industrial marine fisheries in Colombia

Colombia has coasts on both the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans, but its marine fisheries are limited by the relatively small size of commercially important stocks. However, diverse fishery resources have traditionally been exploited by coastal communities, and industrial fisheries have grown in recent years with the intensification of tuna fishing in both oceans. The management of Colombia's fisheries has been hampered by frequent administrative changes, which has notably led to the disappearance of a part of the official landings data. We estimated total fisheries removals (reported plus discards and unreported catches) in the Colombian Atlantic and Pacific Oceans for the period 1950–2006. We used secondary sources of information to estimate missing data, and we estimated subsistence fishing and the unreported by-catches of the shrimp and tuna fisheries. We used available information on seafood prices to estimate the relative economic impact (gross revenues) of the small-scale and industrial sectors for the period 2000–2006. Our results suggest that for the period 1950–2006, the Colombian marine fisheries catches may have been almost twice the landings reported by FAO on behalf of the country (2.8 times higher in the Atlantic; 1.3 times higher in the Pacific). Although the total gross revenues of industrial fisheries were higher than those of the small-scale sector, the latter commanded higher gross revenues in the Atlantic in 2006.     

Multi-stakeholder collaboration yields valuable data for cetacean conservation in Gamba,Gabon

Private industry, the Government of Gabon and two international NGOs collaborated to conduct marine surveys off the coast of Gabon, Central Africa. Surveys addressed multiple objectives of surveillance and monitoring, the documentation of the distribution of and threats to the marine megafauna, and capacity-building among government agents and local early-career scientists. During 22 days of survey effort over a two-year period, observers documented humpback whales Megaptera novaeangliae, bottlenose dolphins Tursiops truncatus, Atlantic humpback dolphins Sousa teuszii and common dolphins Delphinus delphis. Humpback whale presence was limited to the months of July to November. Bottlenose dolphins were present year-round and photo-identification of individuals indicated a closed, resident population, with an abundance estimate of 118 (CV = 21.6%, 95% CI 78–180). Small open-decked fishing vessels with gillnets were observed concentrated around river mouths within 2 km of shore, while commercial trawlers were at least 10 km offshore; all were confirmed to be registered and legal. Observations of marine turtles, flocks of marine birds, and floating logs and other debris were sparse. This multi-stakeholder collaboration to conduct a marine survey can serve as an effective model by which funding and logistic support from private industry paired with technical expertise from NGOs and academic institutions can benefit marine and coastal conservation.     

Spatio-temporal distribution of floating objects in the German Bight (North Sea)

Floating objects facilitate the dispersal of marine and terrestrial species but also represent a major environmental hazard in the case of anthropogenic plastic litter. They can be found throughout the world's oceans but information on their abundance and the spatio-temporal dynamics is scarce for many regions of the world. This information, however, is essential to evaluate the ecological role of floating objects. Herein, we report the results from a ship-based visual survey on the abundance and composition of flotsam in the German Bight (North Sea) during the years 2006 to 2008. The aim of this study was to identify potential sources of floating objects and to relate spatio-temporal density variations to environmental conditions. Three major flotsam categories were identified: buoyant seaweed (mainly fucoid brown algae), natural wood and anthropogenic debris. Densities of these floating objects in the German Bight were similar to those reported from other coastal regions of the world. Temporal variations in flotsam densities are probably the result of seasonal growth cycles of seaweeds and fluctuating river runoff (wood). Higher abundances were often found in areas where coastal fronts and eddies develop during calm weather conditions. Accordingly, flotsam densities were often higher in the inner German Bight than in areas farther offshore. Import of floating objects and retention times in the German Bight are influenced by wind force and direction. Our results indicate that a substantial amount of floating objects is of coastal origin or introduced into the German Bight from western source areas such as the British Channel. Rapid transport of floating objects through the German Bight is driven by strong westerly winds and likely facilitates dispersal of associated organisms and gene flow among distant populations.     

Promoting cross-cultural exchanges in ICM and fisheries: The Consortium for Transatlantic Cooperation in Marine Policy and Coastal Management Education

Since 1997, institutions on both sides of the Atlantic have been building linkages under a joint US/European effort aimed at the next generation of marine policy and ocean management professionals. The Consortium for Transatlantic Cooperation in Marine Policy and Coastal Management Education is facilitating the exchange of knowledge between the United States and Europe regarding integrated coastal management (ICM) and regional fisheries management by creating course modules and case studies, conducting short intensive cross-cultural courses, offering transatlantic internship and academic exchange opportunities, and implementing distance learning technologies. The Consortium includes three European and three US universities, plus five partners from government, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector. The Consortium's ultimate goal is to foster cross-cultural understanding of ICM as it is implemented in response to international mandates such as Agenda 21, the Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the Global Programme of Action on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-Based Activities. This article describes the workings of the Consortium over the past two years.     

Contrasting marine policies in the United States, Mexico, Cuba and the European Union: Searching for an integrated strategy for the Gulf of Mexico region

The three nations surrounding the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) are experiencing rapidly expanding populations and economic development. Problems associated with governing a transboundary body of water such as the GoM are becoming increasingly evident. Despite various attempts within each nation to establish more integrated ocean and coastal governance mechanisms within their own jurisdictions, there has been very little cooperation between the U.S., Mexico and Cuba in developing coordinated maritime policies for the GoM Region. After providing an overview of current marine policy initiatives in the three nations, a brief analysis of recent efforts by the European Union is presented. The paper contends that this European initiative may provide guidance for future integrated management policies in the GoM, but notes that progress depends on reducing legal and political obstacles to international collaboration in the Region.     

Promoting marine science: International science camp as a platform

The interest of the general public, especially young people, in ocean and coastal issues is crucial, and yet high school students often do not consider scientific careers to be attractive. Raising student awareness of careers in marine science is not only a task for educators, but for scientists engaged in marine research as well. This paper summarises the experience of three years of international science camp organized for 15–19 year old students from countries of the Baltic Sea region (Europe) and discusses international science camps as a platform for encouraging interest in marine science.     

An overview of Calanus helgolandicus ecology in European waters

We review current knowledge and understanding of the biology and ecology of the calanoid copepod Calanus helgolandicus in European waters, as well as provide a collaborative synthesis of data from 18 laboratories and 26 sampling stations in areas distributed from the northern North Sea to the Aegean and Levantine Seas. This network of zooplankton time-series stations has enabled us to collect and synthesise seasonal and multi-annual data on abundance, body size, fecundity, hatching success and vertical distribution of C. helgolandicus. An aim was to enable comparison with its congener Calanus finmarchicus, which has been studied intensively as a key component of European and north east Atlantic marine ecosystems. C. finmarchicus is known to over-winter at depth, whereas the life-cycle of C. helgolandicus is less well understood. Overwintering populations of C. helgolandicus have been observed off the Atlantic coast between 400 and 800 m, while in the Mediterranean there is evidence of significant deep-water populations at depths as great as 4200 m. The biogeographical distribution of C. helgolandicus in European coastal waters covers a wide range of habitats, from open ocean to coastal environments, and its contribution to mesozooplankton biomass ranges from 6% to 93%. Highest abundances were recorded in the Adriatic and off the west coast of Spain. C. helgolandicus is generally found in 9-20 °C water, with maximum abundances from 13-17 °C. In contrast, C. finmarchicus is found in cooler water between 0 and 15 °C, with peak abundances from 0 to 9 °C. As water has warmed in the North Atlantic over recent decades, the range of C. helgolandicus and its abundance on the fringes of its expanding range have increased. This review will facilitate development of population models of C. helgolandicus. This will not only help answer remaining questions but will improve our ability to forecast future changes, in response to a warming climate, in the abundance and distribution of this important species.     

ENSO related modulation of coastal upwelling in the eastern Atlantic

An index of ENSO in the Pacific during early boreal winter is shown to account for a significant part of the variability of coastal SST anomalies measured a few months later within the wind driven West African coastal upwelling region from 10°N to 26°N. This teleconnection is thought to result from an atmospheric bridge between the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, leading to warm (cold) ENSO events being associated with a relaxation (intensification) of the Atlantic trade winds and of the wind-induced coastal upwelling. This ENSO related modulation of the wind-driven coastal upwelling appears to contribute to the connection observed at the basin-scale between ENSO and SST in the north Atlantic. The ability to use this teleconnection to give warnings of large changes in the West African upwelling several months in advance is successfully tested using data from the 1998 and 1999 ENSO events.     

Establishment and closure of the directed Florida whiting (Menticirrhus americanus) fishery and implications for North Atlantic right whale (Eubalaena glacialis) conservation and management

Today, ocean and coastal marine resource management is extremely complex. Marine resource managers are charged with conserving and managing many diverse species. Southern kingfish (Menticirrhus americanus), commonly known as whiting, are found from southern New England to Florida. During the fall through winter, western North Atlantic right whales (Eubalaena glacialis) are primarily found in the coastal nearshore waters off South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida, overlapping the whiting's range and habitat.