BOBLME Strategic Action Programme (SAP)
What is the SAP?
The Strategic Action Programme (SAP) is a comprehensive plan to address the major fisheries,
environmental and socio-economic problems affecting the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem
(BOBLME). The SAP has been developed by the Bay of Bengal Large Marine Ecosystem Project in close
collaboration with relevant stakeholders from Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Maldives,
Myanmar and Sri Lanka. It recognizes that many of the issues facing BOBLME are transboundary in
nature and that improved regional collaboration and management holds the greatest promise of
positive change.
Why is it needed?
Ensuring that the people of the BOBLME have sufficient fish and other marine resources in the future,
will depend on how well the countries of the region manage supporting marine ecosystems today. Over
450 million people live in the Bay of Bengal area and their numbers are increasing rapidly. Many of these
people are poor and vulnerable and heavily on marine resources. These are being exhausted by
overfishing, removal or degradation of important coastal marine habitats and land-based sources of
pollution.
What are its main objectives?
The SAP has three main objectives namely that: fisheries and other marine living resources are restored
and managed sustainably; that degraded, vulnerable and critical marine habitats are restored,
conserved and maintained; and that coastal and marine pollution and water quality are controlled to
meet agreed standards for human and ecosystem health.
How was it developed?
The SAP is the product of many years of reflection and assessment as well as national and regional
consultations. It is based on the transboundary diagnostic analysis (TDA) which was endorsed in March
2012 by the eight BOBLME countries. The TDA drew on over ten years of studies, reviews and analyses
and identified the main transboundary issues and their causes in the BOBLME. The SAP sets out the
actions that are required to address the problems identified by the TDA.
What are the major areas of action included in the SAP?
The SAP is based on key areas identified by the transboundary diagnostic analysis (TDA). These are
overexploitation of marine living resources; degradation of critical habitats such as mangroves, coral
reefs and seagrass; pollution and water quality; as well as social and economic considerations.
How will the SAP be implemented?
Over 400 potential actions were identified by technical experts who participated in three planning
workshops in 2012. These include transboundary actions that would be coordinated through a regional
mechanism under a second phase of the BOBLME Project and selected national actions that would be
undertaken by each country and recognized as contributing to SAP implementation.
Each country has identified the actions that are already being undertaken, the actions it would like to
receive assistance for (to start or strengthen), and the actions it is not considering undertaking in the
near future. Where four or more countries identified actions they would like to start or strengthen,
these actions were included in the regional activities list.
Countries will not undertake all the actions identified and each country has proposed different subsets
of actions according to its priorities, resources and capacity. Importantly, countries are already
undertaking many of the actions.
What type of activities does the SAP include?
Activities in each of the main thematic areas of the SAP fall into one of four areas namely: institutional
arrangements, legal and policy reforms; management measures; knowledge strengthening,
communications and awareness; and human capacity development.
Examples of activities include: establishing observer schemes (management measure); including
protection of seagrass in existing national legislation and policies (legal/policy); improving
understanding of the environmental impacts of landfills and incineration on the coastal environment
(knowledge/awareness); and to develop the capacity of SMEs in business management of fisheries and
ancillary services (human capacity development).
When will the SAP be finalized?
The SAP is currently undergoing a final review process by each of the countries involved with a view to
being finalised by October 2014. Signature of the SAP by the fisheries and environment ministers of the
respective countries is expected to be completed by February 2015.