Governance of high seas biodiversity
The high seas, which represent nearly 64% of the world’s sea and ocean surface, half of the Earth’s total area, constitute the least protected region of our planet. At the same time, the high seas are facing a constantly increasing number of threats due to the development and intensification of human activities, which may have serious consequences on the marine environment (exploitation of the natural and mineral resources of the high seas, fisheries, navigation, scientific marine research and also the consequences of climate change, acidification, pollution from the land…). Since 2006, IDDRI has been involved in the debate over the future of the high seas and the evolution of its legal and political status.
In 2008, an international seminar entitled "Towards a new governance of high seas biodiversity" was organized by IDDRI in partnership with the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation, the French marine protected areas agency, the French Global Environment Facility and the CDMO. The perspectives emerging from the seminar (which led to the publication of a collective work coordinated by IDDRI) have subsequently been discussed at major international meetings on the subject.
In 2011, IDDRI formed a partnership agreement with the French Marine Protected Areas Agency concerning high seas biodiversity governance issues. In this regard, IDDRI will focus on the clarification of key issues for upcoming international events relating to the high seas, particularly in the context of regional seas conventions such as the OSPAR and the Barcelona conventions (see « Les zones marines protégées en haute mer dans le cadre de la Convention OSPAR état des lieux et perspectives d'avenir », 2011, Idées pour le débat, Iddri, n°03/11) but also at a more global level (the UN Working Group on high seas biodiversity, for example).
A number of research projects will also be conducted: on marine protected areas (MPAs) in the high seas, on the incorporation of high seas issues within regional seas, on the competencies of the different sectoral bodies in terms of high seas MPAs, on the European Union and the high seas and on France's transposition into national law of its international commitments regarding the high seas.
All these studies will serve to promote the establishment of conditions to enable concrete progress to be made towards conservation and sustainable use of high seas resources. |
| Contact : Elisabeth Druel |
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