Submitted by
valderrabanom
on Tue, 04/20/2021 - 20:05
General Information
Resolution
49164
Period covered
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Policy influencing/advocacy | As a member of the Global Ocean Alliance and High Ambition Coalition for Nature and People, Australia is advocating for strong global targets to protect at least 30 per cent of the world’s ocean by 2030. Australia exceeds this target domestically, with 45 per cent of our waters in marine protected areas. Australia already has one of the world’s largest networks of marine protected areas, covering around 4 million square kilometres. The largest component of this national system, 60 Australian Marine Parks, are managed to protect the natural, cultural and heritage values of the parks while allowing ecologically-sustainable use and enjoyment of the parks. In March 2022, the newest Australian Marine Parks were established in Australia’s Indian Ocean Territories. The new Christmas Island Marine Park and Cocos (Keeling) Islands Marine Park protect 744,000 square kilometres of unique marine environment around these remote islands. The marine parks were co-designed with the local communities of Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands to ensure that they also support important local marine activities, such as recreational and subsistence fishing, boating, diving, snorkelling and marine tourism. As part of managing Australian Marine Parks, the Australian Government is implementing the $28 million Our Marine Parks Grants program which supports organisations to engage in the management and conservation of Australian Marine Parks. The Australian Government is also implementing the $15 million Ocean Discovery and Restoration program that is seeking to co-contribute with partners to deliver discovery and ecosystem restoration projects important to science, industry, traditional owners, park managers and the community, to improve understanding and sustainable management of our Australian Marine Parks. |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | As a member of the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, Australia has committed to sustainably manage 100 per cent of the ocean under our national jurisdiction, guided by a Sustainable Ocean Plan, by 2025. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | Australia is actively engaged in negotiations for a new international treaty under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Australia is committed to securing a treaty that delivers real conservation benefits for our oceans – including new high seas marine protected areas – and sets strong environmental protection standards. | On-going | Full activity report | |
| Education/Communication/Raising awareness | Publication of the Global Typology for the Red List of Ecosystems in the journal Nature. | Completed | Full activity report |
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
Report status
Published
I. IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members
Australian Government Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water ( Australia )
Fondo para el Sistema Arrecifal Mesoamericano ( Guatemala )
Coastal Oceans Research and Development - Indian Ocean (East Africa) ( Kenya )
Center for Biodiversity Outcomes, Arizona State University ( United States of America )
IUCN Commissions
IUCN Commission on Ecosystem Management 2021-2025
IUCN Secretariat
Yes
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Capacity-building
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Education/Communication/Raising awareness
Field activities
Fundraising
Policy influencing/advocacy
Scientific/technical activities
Describe the results/achievements of the activities
. The publication of IUCN Global Ecosystem typology in the journal Nature opens the door for the application of the resolution, specifically the sections asking for mapping of marine ecosystems and the Red list of marine ecosystems. The publication includes already tentative maps of all Ecosystem functional groups including deep sea and ecosystems beyond photic areas
- Several countries (ie Australia) have done significant steps to increase the conservation of marine areas and increase the surface of marine protected areas. Concrete data on the extent of this surface increase, and the level of protection provided are unavailable.
- The red list of ecosystems in marine ecosystems continues, for example, with the assessment of Coral Reefs of the Western Indian Ocean
- Development of Kelp Forest Alliance will support Kelp forest ecosystems conservation and restoration, for example by setting up restoration targets for Kelp Forest. Similar initiatives exist for Mangroves, Corals and Seagrasses, but are minor in marine ecosystems beyond the photic area.
- Several countries (ie Australia) have done significant steps to increase the conservation of marine areas and increase the surface of marine protected areas. Concrete data on the extent of this surface increase, and the level of protection provided are unavailable.
- The red list of ecosystems in marine ecosystems continues, for example, with the assessment of Coral Reefs of the Western Indian Ocean
- Development of Kelp Forest Alliance will support Kelp forest ecosystems conservation and restoration, for example by setting up restoration targets for Kelp Forest. Similar initiatives exist for Mangroves, Corals and Seagrasses, but are minor in marine ecosystems beyond the photic area.
Challenges/obstacles encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and measures taken
- Achieving marine conservation beyond national jurisdiction requires multilateral agreement between countries. Degradation during 2022 of
Future actions / activities needed for the implementation of this Resolution
- Support new international treaty under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ)
- develop concrete on-ground actions for marine restoration
- Increase marine protected areas coverage
-
- develop concrete on-ground actions for marine restoration
- Increase marine protected areas coverage
-
Are these actions/activities planned?
No
III. Status of implementation
Implementation status of this Resolution
Initiated: first stages of implementation