Emerging and unresolved issues: the example of marine genetic resources of areas beyond national jurisdiction - Ocean Sustainability in the 21st Century - page 341

While the role of area-based management tools, including MPAs, in the conservation
and sustainable use of marine genetic resources is justified, very often, little or no inform-
ation is available on the conservation status of species and organisms used as sources of
marine genetic resources. Where information is available, the future prospects are gloomy.
For example, there is evidence that psycrophiles of the Arctic that show high metabolic
activity at very low temperatures might be under threat of extinction due to global warming
(Arrieta et al ., 2010 ) .
The identification of ecologically or biologically sensitive areas and vulnerable mar-
ine ecosystems, through undertaking the relevant processes under the CBD and the FAO,
remains a scientific exercise which does not automatically entail the establishment of a
protected area or fisheries closure. However, the identification of such areas is useful
and provides a complementary tool to inform the selection and designation of appropriate
tools for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity, including genetic re-
sources.