Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
be lost. Designation and management of MPAs has to be conducted in the broader EMB/
ICM framework, and the lack of standardized data and reporting on MPAs should be noted.
While the special circumstances and needs of Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
are now widely acknowledged, implementation of the provisions of the 1995 Barbados
Plan of Action and the 2005 Mauritius Strategy of Implementation for SIDS are lagging
behind, mainly due to lack of institutional and financial support. Human capacity devel-
opment for SIDS is also required, and concerns related to the impacts of climate change
on SIDS needs to be reflected adequately in international commitments related to reducing
fossil fuel emissions. Progress has been made in relation to MPA designation and increased
efforts in EBM/ICM.
Efforts related to sustainable fisheries and aquaculture have resulted in the develop-
ment by over 90% of FAO member states of fisheries management plans, while some 80%
of them have taken steps to develop or implement plans to address illegal, unregulated,
and unreported (IUU) fishing. However, overexploited, fully exploited, and depleted fish
stocks have continued to increase. Reducing overcapacity through the International Plan
of Action for the Management of Fishing Capacity provides an opportunity for progress in
thisregard.Implementation ofUNGeneralAssemblyresolutionsonmitigating theimpacts
of bottom trawling on vulnerable ecosystems remains a major impediment. Future needs
include the need to lessen and ultimately eradicate destructive fishing practices to reduce
perverse incentives which contribute to overfishing and IUU fishing.
The authors report that addressing critical uncertainties for the management of the
marine environment, including from the perspective of climate change, requires further en-
hancement of systematic observations, including in the context of the Global Ocean Ob-
serving System (GOOS), and of systematic data exchange between nations (as provided for
by OBIS). Developing countries continue to lack the capacity needed to participate in and
benefit from systematic studies and observations of the oceans, and technology transfer,
education, and training should be further promoted to overcome this barrier.
In relation to capacity development, major efforts by UN organizations, educational
institutions, and multilateral and bilateral donors are ongoing, but the lack of adequate
