Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
9.4.2 The role of environmental impact assessments and strategic environmental
assessments
Among the tools available to foster greater cooperation - and which are at the centre of dis-
cussions - are EIAs and SEAs. The actual or potential value of marine organisms used as
sources of marine genetic resources should also be seen from the standpoint of ecological
processes and ecosystem services provided by deep sea biodiversity, as indicated in Annex
2 of the CBD Voluntary Guidelines on EIA. In that regard, EIAs and SEAs, as a tool to im-
plement an ecosystem approach, should be conceived as part of coherent policy-planning
frameworks and include systematic follow-up procedures for the management of various
threats to marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
Impact assessments are currently required under a number of global instruments, in-
cluding UNCLOS (Articles 205-206) and the CBD (Article 14), as well as regional instru-
ments, including the Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment in the North-
East Atlantic (OSPAR Convention) and the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the
Antarctic Treaty. At its 11th meeting, in October 2012, the CBD Conference of the Parties
adopted voluntary guidelines for the consideration of biodiversity in EIAs and SEAs in mar-
ine and coastal areas (Convention on Biological Diversity,
2012
). The voluntary codes of
conduct for marine scientific research described in
Section 9.1
also promote EIAs. EIAs are
also being addressed in the context of the General Assembly Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal
Working Group, in the light of challenges that exist for the application of EIAs in areas bey-
ond national jurisdiction, including in relation to the responsible entity for carrying out the
assessments, stakeholder consultations, and the authority overseeing such assessments and
making the decision on whether an activity may proceed or not, based on the results of an
assessment .
