IUCN, Global Marine Programme

A survey of tourists and tour operators in the Egyptian Red Sea region shows that the industry often misperceives its clients’ environmental sensitivity, putting its own business at risk. Climate change is a growing threat to the tourism industry by making destinations less attractive and jeopardizing major sources of income. The awareness of tourists towards climate change and other environmental issues is likely to be a major driver of their future holiday choices.

The ocean continues to get only peripheral attention in climate change research and policy, despite its enormous importance in regulating global climate and its sensitivity to the impacts of climate change and ocean acidification. This report provides an overview of the interactions between the ocean and climate and describes the impacts of climate change on the marine ecosystems and the goods and services they provide human society.

Marine and Coastal Protected Areas (MCPAs), in their variety of forms and scales, are seen as one of the solutions to threats facing the coastal and marine environment, while contributing to the long-term sustainable livelihoods of coastal communities, their cultures and their economies.

The need for rapid methodologies for measuring coral reef resilience and their application in assessing the effectiveness of coral reef conservation management measures is becoming increasingly acute, especially in the developing world.

Marine resources in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ) are under increasing pressure from human impacts, putting at risk biodiversity, ecosystem processes and function. There is a heightened focus on whether current arrangements and policies are adequate. This paper explores possible elements of a new instrument to protect such biodiversity – an Implementation Agreement under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).

This paper contains a case study on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in the part of the Mid-Atlantic Ridge (MAR) that is located in areas beyond national jurisdiction (ABNJ). The purpose of this paper is to review the scope and functioning of applicable regional regimes and to identify if, and what kind of, regulatory and/or governance gaps exist. The case study complements and should be read in conjunction with the other three studies in this Marine Series.