Global Oceans Conference Finds Progress Slow

PARIS, France, January 31, 2006 (ENS) - The international goal of eliminating illegal fishing and fishing overcapacity by 2004 and 2005 has not been met, and 75 percent of the world's fish stocks are either being fully exploited or overfished said ocean experts at a UN conference last week. A study presented at the conference forecast that the goal of establishing representative networks of marine protected areas by 2012, will only be met in 2085 at the present rate of designation.

Progress toward better management of oceans and coasts is too slow, agreed the 400 ocean experts and decision makers from 78 countries attending the Third Global Conference on Oceans, Coasts, and Islands at UNESCO headquarters in Paris last week. Management of coastal regions affects half of the world's population living in coastal communities.

The conference was convened to assess progress in achieving the objectives adopted by the international community at the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg and the Millennium Development Goals.

Participants said the WSSD targets had been unrealistic. There was particular concern over insufficient national action to meet the fisheries goals.

Alaska fisherman lands a netload of halibut. (Photo courtesy NOAA)

The conference was divided into 12 panels, each dealing with a specific aspect of marine ecology. There are some hopeful signs participants said.

At the international level, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) have launched efforts to improve the situation. The two organizations have created a task force on how to stem illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing in the high seas. Led by the UK Environment Minister, Ben Bradshaw, it is expected to present a blueprint for action in March.

Delegates observed that in many of the poorest countries, there exists a cycle of extreme poverty coupled with excessive exploitation of the environment as necessarly for survival. This cycle contributes to marine pollution and ecosystem degradation, they said.

Speaking via a video connection from Africa, Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, director of the UN Millennium Project and special advisor to the UN Secretary-General on the Millenium Development Goals, said that despite many statements, goals and laws aimed at poverty reduction and environmental protection, there is little follow up on work programs.

He said developing countries cannot protect their natural environments because they cannot afford to increase their environmental capital; vested interests strip countries of their resources without distribution of profits; the global economic paradigm is forcing countries to adopt unsustainable economic models; and they lack the scientific knowledge with which to determine the best course of action, the Earth Negotiations Bulletin reports.

Delegates recognized that the world’s 43 Small Island Developing States, which have stewardship over vast areas of the oceans, are having difficulty enforcing conservation policies and controlling developments in their marine environment due to logistical and financial constraints. These have been getting worse because of the recent decline in overseas development assistance.

Tuvalu fisherman in an outrigger canoe coasts along the shoreline. (Photo courtesy SPTO)

No international organization is responsible for tracking progress in the establishment of ecosystem management and of program in integrated coastal and ocean management, and there is no regular collection of information on the social and economic well-being of coastal communities.

Charles Ehler, of the World Conservation Union-IUCN, told delegates that the term ecosystem based management has evolved to include a human dimension. He said there is a broad consensus that local involvement in design and development of ecosystem based management projects is the largest factor in guaranteeing their success.

While some targest have not been met, there has been progress in some areas, delegates agreed. Half of the Small Island Developing States, as well as a number of other countries, have adopted ecosystem based management and coastal and ocean management programs.

Sixty states have initiated national plans of action to address land-based sources of marine pollution, which account for 80 percent of ocean pollution.

Some countries - Australia, Palau, the Cook Islands, and Costa Rica - have begun to establish marine protected areas with a view to preserving marine and coastal biodiversity.

Fourteen countries have demonstrated good progress on implementing integrated marine and land-based water resource management. 51 have “taken some steps,” while 43 are in the initial stages of implementing this goal.

South-South cooperation on marine issues among Small Island Developing States has been increasing, with the establishment of a Consortium of Universities linking the Pacific, Caribbean and Indian Ocean regions.

On Thursday, Aldo Cosentino, Italy's director-general, nature protection, announced Italy's endorsement of the Countdown 2010 intiative to stop the loss of biodiversity in Europe by 2010 at a reception for conference participants given by Italy's Ministry for the Environment and Territory.

The establishment of a process for regular, global reporting on, and assessment of, the marine environment, including socioeconomic aspects, initially set for 2004, has now taken off after initial delays due to differences in opinion among the countries concerned.