CARICOM stakeholders support strong global treaty to protect ocean biodiversity
CARICOM STAKEHOLDERS consulted by the Caribbean Natural Resources Institute (CANARI) have recognised the importance of ocean biodiversity and are calling for regional collaboration and strong stakeholder involvement in global efforts to ensure equitable access to, and shared benefits from, the ocean.
This is according to CANARI, who recently launched an online GIS Story Map which explores what a new global treaty on the ocean would mean to Caribbean people and provided technical support to CARICOM negotiators, with stakeholder engagement via workshops, interviews, an online survey, and via social media.
The ocean covers about 72 per cent of the Earth’s surface and almost two-thirds of this lies in areas beyond the exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of countries, where no one nation has any authority. CARICOM negotiators have called for the development of a strong international, legally binding agreement to conserve and sustainably use marine Biodiversity in areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (the BBNJ Agreement).
For more than a decade, there have been discussions on the need for an international agreement to protect biodiversity in areas outside of national territories as current international law is inadequate. The BBNJ Agreement is being drafted under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Negotiations have been ongoing since 2016, but were disrupted in 2020 by the COVID-19 global crisis.
“As negotiators continue their work virtually and prepare for the next stage of formal negotiations in early 2021, CARICOM stakeholders need to continue to engage in the process and support government and regional agencies, researchers and civil-society organisations that are working to protect our ocean’s biodiversity,” said a release from CANARI.
US$407 BILLION PER YEAR
More than 100 million people who live on or near the coasts around the Caribbean Sea (which is split into territorial waters) benefit from the
ocean for their livelihoods, recreation, health, well-being, culture and spirituality. A study by the World Bank puts the economic value of the Caribbean Sea to the region at US$407 billion per year – including all its services and support to fishing, transport, trade, tourism, mining, waste disposal, energy, carbon sequestration and drug development. Globally, recent estimates suggest that the ocean contributes about three per cent of the global
economy, or about US$1.5 trillion, annually.
Investing in protecting the ocean, therefore, makes economic sense, and CARICOM stakeholders called for the development of a High Seas Biodiversity Fund or other sustainable financing mechanism to ensure adequate funding for the implementation of the BBNJ Agreement.
“They recognised that capacity building and technology transfer
under the agreement would benefit many CARICOM stakeholders, and recommended that capacity development should be targeted at the regional level via a regional roster of experts and centres of excellence to foster collaboration within the Caribbean,” noted the CANARI release.
They also felt that CARICOM experts should be included in the proposed scientific and technical body to ensure that the best available science on the region is used and shared.
“CARICOM stakeholders working in tourism, fisheries, shipping, marine scientific research and biodiversity conservation and coastal communities who depend on the sea for their livelihoods, have special interests, rights and responsibilities relevant to the BBNJ Agreement. Having their perspectives and priorities, our negotiators will be better placed to make a convincing case for improved action to protect ocean biodiversity and benefit Caribbean people,”noted Ambassador Janine Felson from Belize, who serves as co-chair of the CARICOM BBNJ negotiating team.
Through its provision of technical support, CANARI found that CARICOM stakeholders recognised the importance of ocean biodiversity as key for Caribbean economic sectors such as tourism and fisheries.
“The Caribbean Sea connects us and defines the sociocultural identity of the region,” it said.
CARICOM stakeholders felt that decisions about designation of areas in the ocean for special protection and management of biodiversity (for example, the Sargasso Sea adjacent to the Caribbean region) should involve stakeholders to facilitate knowledge sharing, build stakeholder awareness, enable benefit sharing, build partnerships for collective action, and reduce conflicts to increase compliance.
“Stakeholders also need to be involved in environmental impact assessments for activities in international waters, as these could negatively impact on national waters and coasts. Activities in national territories could also negatively impact on the shared ocean, which needs to be protected as the common heritage of humankind,”CANARI said.