UNITED
NATIONS
EP
United Nations
Environment
Programme
Working document
Version 1
14 November 2003
Towards a UNEP Module for the Assessment
of the Coastal and Marine Environment1
1
This document has been produced without formal editing.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY ....................................................................................... 3
1.
INTRODUCTION ........................................................................... 4
2.
EXISTING ASSESSMENTS OF UNEP RELATED TO THE COASTAL AND MARINE
ENVIRONMENT ........................................................................... 5
3.
UNEP COASTAL AND MARINE MODULE ............................................... 7
3.1
3.2
3.3
3.4
3.5
3.6
3.7
3.8
4.
POTENTIAL PARTNERS OF THE UNEP COASTAL AND MARINE MODULE ...... 11
4.1
4.2
4.3
4.4
4.5
4.6
5.
OBJECTIVE OF THE UNEP COASTAL AND MARINE MODULE ...................................... 7
SCOPE.......................................................................................... 8
STRUCTURE .................................................................................... 9
METHODOLOGY................................................................................. 9
EXPECTED OUTPUTS ........................................................................... 10
GOVERNANCE STRUCTURE ..................................................................... 10
CAPACITY BUILDING AND SUPPORT TO SUB-GLOBAL ASSESSMENTS .............................. 10
FINANCIAL AND ADMINISTRATIVE CONSEQUENCES ............................................... 11
THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL OCEANOGRAPHIC COMMISSION (IOC) OF UNESCO ................. 11
GLOBAL OCEAN OBSERVING SYSTEM (GOOS).................................................. 12
THE LARGE MARINE ECOSYSTEMS .............................................................. 12
GESAMP...................................................................................... 12
UNITED NATIONS ATLAS OF THE OCEANS ...................................................... 13
REGIONAL ASSESSMENTS ....................................................................... 13
CONCLUSION ............................................................................ 14
APPENDIX 1 SHORT PAPERS FROM MA, UNEP-WCMC, CBD, GESAMP, CAR/RCU .. 15
APPENDIX 2 LIST OF ACRONYMS ......................................................... 28
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Summary
There is a growing concern worldwide about the state of marine environments and their
living resources particularly in coastal and shelf regions. Assessments of the state of those
environments based on common methodologies are needed. Analyses of socio-economic
root causes of the deterioration of ecosystems should lead to policy options for the
sustainable management of the marine ecosystems.
The present background paper describes the existing marine assessments under UNEP and
how they should be merged and refined in a unified assessment module. This module will
be instrumental in fulfilling the UNEP's mandate in keeping under review the world
environmental situation including the living resources and biodiversity.
At present UNEP is engaged in three separate global assessments with coastal and marine
components: Global Environmental Outlook (GEO), Global International Waters Assessment
(GIWA), and Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA). GIWA and MA will terminate in
2004/2005 but their marine objectives and their potential in terms of expert networks and
data systems should be retained and strengthened in order to meet UNEP's obligations.
UNEP will pool the coastal and marine components of those three assessments under the
common structure of a Coastal and Marine Module with a holistic view on global
assessments and, at the same time, keeping track of emerging regional environmental
issues and their socio-economic root causes and implications. The Module should serve
UNEP's activities in surveillance of environmental problems of international significance
including the conservation and sustainable use of the marine and coastal environment and
the protection of marine biodiversity.
In support of UNEP-administered policy instruments such as the Convention on Biological
Diversity (CBD), Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment
from Land-based Activities (GPA) and Regional Seas Programme (RSP); and through
existing assessments and resources such as the World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(WCMC) and Global Resource Information Database (GRID) centre, the UNEP's Module could
strengthen the science base and the assessment methodologies and management
approaches towards conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal ecosystems.
No module of this kind can work in isolation. The Coastal and Marine Module will lack full
competence in certain parts of the world's ocean, e.g. the deep open ocean beyond the
outer continental margins, the polar seas and much of the northern temperate zone,
where marine surveillance is well established since long by other organisations. The
Module will find partners within UNEP devoted to assessments of freshwater resources and
management as well as on land use and biodiversity issues. The module can also
complement other processes such as the strengthening of the scientific and managerial
capacities particularly in developing countries and small island developing states.
External partners of the module can be found in UN agencies such as IOC/UNESCO, in
interagency programmes like GESAMP, and in a multitude of regional organisations and in
the network of GEF/LME projects.
The needs for UNEP’s contribution to the assessment and management of data related to
the coastal and marine environment has been underlined in recent decisions by the UN
General Assembly and UNEP Governing Council in UNGA 57/141 Paragraphs 38 and 45, and
UNEP GC 21/13, 22/1/II, and 22/2/III, respectively. Assessments in this field are needed
to support relevant environmental policy instruments previously mentioned.
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1. Introduction
UNEP’s mandate is to keep under review the state of the world's environments in order to
ensure that emerging environmental problems with international significance receive
appropriate and adequate consideration by Governments. To implement the mandate,
UNEP should mobilize scientific experts and promote international cooperation. UNEP’s
mandate is the basis for its ongoing assessment activities including Global International
Waters Assessment (GIWA), the Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) and the Global
Environmental Outlook (GEO). All three projects are built with coastal and marine
components. As an implementing agency of the Global Environmental Facility (GEF), UNEP
provides the secretariat to the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of GEF, and has
over the years implemented some key global environmental assessments financed by GEF,
such as the Global Biodiversity Assessment (GBA) in 1995 and the ongoing GIWA and MA.
In line with UNEP's role and mandate, the 21st UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial
Environment Forum (UNEP GC/GMEF) in February 2001 requested the Executive Director
(ED) of UNEP to explore the feasibility of establishing a regular process for assessing the
state of the marine environment or so-called the Global Marine Assessment (GMA). Later,
the 22nd session of the UNEP GC/GMEF in February 2003 adopted Decision GC 22/1/II on
the Global Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment. The decision requests the
ED of UNEP to participate and contribute to the overall GMA process as called for by the
UNGA resolution 57/141, paragraph 45. It also calls upon the ED to identify existing
programmatic and budgetary resources of UNEP for the GMA; and to involve and
collaborate with Regional Seas Programme and other regional seas agreements. It further
authorises the ED to establish a trust fund to support the participation of the developing
countries.
The same session of the GC/GMEF also adopted Decision 22/1/I on Strengthening the
Scientific Base of UNEP. The decision requests the ED to continue keeping under review
the world environmental situation, inter alia, by preparing the comprehensive GEO report
series every five years with the next report coming out in 2007. The coastal and marine
environment has over the years been one of the key thematic areas covered by the GEO.
Furthermore, Paragraph 38 of the same UNGA resolution 57/141 calls upon UNEP
“…,working within the Global Resource Information Database (GRID) system for data and
information management, to expand on a voluntary basis the capacity of existing GRID
centres to store and handle research data from the outer continental margin, on a basis
to be mutually agreed with the coastal State, and complementary to existing regional
data centres, giving due regard to confidentiality needs and in accordance with Part XIII
of the Convention, and making use of existing data management mechanisms under the
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and the International Hydrographic
Organisation, with a view to serving the needs of coastal States, and in particular
developing countries and small island developing States, in their compliance with article
76 of the Convention;”
In preparing for the GEO-4, UNEP has decided to develop a module for Freshwater
Ecosystem and one for Coastal & Marine Ecosystems which is outlined in this document.
The module is also part of the Modular Partnership Approach, proposed by UNEP along
with proposals from other organisations to the UN Secretary-General for the
implementation of the UNGA resolution 57/141 paragraph 45, whereby each UN agency
would be responsible for an assessment module in accordance with their mandate.
However, the process of establishing by 2004 the Global Marine Assessment is being
coordinated by UN Division for the Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea (DOALOS) under
the direct guidance of the UN General Assembly and still ongoing.
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2.
Existing Assessments of UNEP Related to the Coastal and Marine
Environment
The global environmental assessments under UNEP was enforced by the UN Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED) of 1992 in Rio de Janeiro which listed climate
change, depletion of atmospheric ozone and of biodiversity, and deterioration of
international waters as the four focal areas for implementation of Agenda 21. The
assessment processes focusing on the first three areas have been quickly established, but
for the international waters it is still incomplete.
There are a number of initiatives of UNEP that relates to the coastal and marine
environment.
Water Unit of the Division of Early Warning and Assessment (DEWA) has been
instrumental in the follow-up of the Governing Council requests for exploring the
feasibility of establishing a regular process for assessing the state of the marine
environment. In working with UNEP-WCMC, GIWA, MA, GEO and the regional co-ordinators
of DEWA (located in Africa; Asia and Pacific; Europe; Latin America and Caribbean; North
America and West Asia), the unit plays a key role for UNEP in following up the UNGA
decision.
The Global Environment Outlook (GEO) was initiated in response to the environmental
reporting requirements of Agenda 21. Located at the UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi, the
GEO collaborate with expert groups and national, regional and international institutes to
produce the GEO report. To date, three reports on the state of the world's environment
have been published in 1997, 2000, and 2002. The latest, GEO-3, provides an overview of
the main environmental developments over the past three decades, and how social,
economic and other factors have contributed to the changes both globally and in seven
regions of the world (Africa; Asia and Pacific; Europe; Latin America and Caribbean; North
America; West Asia; and Polar regions). Coastal and marine areas are treated as one of
eight thematic issues. The Annual GEO Statement for 2003 and GEO-4 scheduled for 2007
are currently at the planning stage. See www.unep.org/geo.
The Global International Waters Assessment (GIWA) located in Kalmar, Sweden, was
originated by GEF in 1999 and co-sponsored by GEF, Governments of Sweden, Finland and
Norway, and UNEP. It is a comprehensive and integrated global assessment of
international waters, their ecological status and the causes of environmental problems in
66 regions of the world. Its focus is on five major concerns facing the aquatic
environment namely Freshwater Shortage, Pollution, Habitat and Community
Modification, Unsustainable Exploitation of Fisheries and Other Living Resources, and
Global Change. The assessments are based on existing reports in the regions but also on
primary information. Each region encompassing freshwater basins and adjacent coastal
and shelf seas (following the LMEs in some regions) is assessed by a team of local experts
in that region using the GIWA assessment methodology. Regional focal points and expert
teams form a global network of about 2000 aquatic scientists and administrators. GIWA is
scheduled for completion in 2004. See www.giwa.net.
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is a four-year process commenced in April
2001 with a secretariat located in Penang, Malaysia. It is designed to improve the
management of the world’s pristine and managed ecosystems (including coastal and
marine ecosystems) by helping to meet the needs of decision-makers and the public for
peer-reviewed, policy-relevant scientific information on ecosystem goods and services, the
consequences of changes in ecosystems on human well being, and consequences on other
life on earth, and options for response, leaving the choices to policy makers. The MA
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looks at different assessment dimensions including the Global Conditions & Trends
Assessment, the Global Scenarios Assessment, the Global Responses Assessment, and the
Sub-Global Assessment. This project is in many aspects a follow-up to the Global
Biodiversity Assessment of 1995. See Appendix 1 and www.millenniumassessment.org.
The Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land-based Activities (GPA), the Hague, the Netherlands, was designed to be a source of
conceptual and practical guidance for national and/or regional authorities to devise and
implement sustained actions in order to prevent, reduce, control and/or eliminate marine
degradation from land-based activities. The implementation of the GPA is primarily the
task of Governments in close partnership with all stakeholders including local
communities, public organizations, non-governmental organizations and the private
sector. The GPA plays a catalytic role in facilitating and assisting Governments in their
tasks including, i.a., the identification and assessment of problems caused by land-based
activities. The GPA identifies the Regional Seas Programme of UNEP as an appropriate
framework for promoting and facilitating the implementation of the GPA at the regional
and sub-regional levels. See www.gpa.unep.org.
The Regional Seas Programme (RSP) is a global programme involving 13 regional
programmes and five partner programmes. Regional action plans are formulated
according to the needs of the region as perceived by the Governments concerned. Each
region has a comprehensive, integrated, results oriented approach to combating
environmental problems through the rational management of marine and coastal areas.
See www.unep.ch/seas.
UNEP-World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) is the world biodiversity
information and assessment centre of UNEP. UNEP-WCMC’s products include the World
Atlas of Biodiversity, World Atlas of Coral Reefs, Mangrove Atlas, the World Atlas of
Seagrasses. It also has ongoing projects on marine mammals, marine protected areas and
the impacts of the aquarium trade. Recently the Centre prepared a review of existing and
ongoing marine assessments and relevant scientific activities as part of UNEP's feasibility
study on the establishment of a global marine assessment called for by UNEP GC Decision
21/13. The review was jointly published by UNEP and IOC in August 2003. UNEP Coral
Reef Unit, presently based at WCMC, will be closely associated to GMA activities. See
Appendix 1 and www.unep-wcmc.org.
Global Resource Information Database (GRID) is a global network of environmental data
centres affiliated with UNEP which facilitates the generation and dissemination of key
environmental geo-referenced and statistical data-sets, and information products with a
focus on environmental issues and natural resources. GRID centres prepare, analyze and
present environmental data and information, which are the basis for reliable
environmental assessments. It recently has been requested to follow up on the UNGA
Resolution 57/141, paragraph 38, which calls upon GRID to support coastal states under
UNCLOS, in particular developing countries and small island states, in their management
of data from the outer continental margin. See www.grida.no.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an independent Multilateral
Environmental Treaty (MEA) which was initiated by UNEP Governing Council in 1990 and
whose secretariat is administered by UNEP. The CBD’s focus on the marine environment is
outlined in the Jakarta Mandate and subsequent programme of work. The progress in
implementing the programme is regularly considered by the Conference of the Parties and
its Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice (SBSTTA). See
Appendix 1 and www.biodiv.org.
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3.
UNEP Coastal and Marine Module
Following the environmental targets set out in Agenda 21, the Millennium Development
Goals (MDGs), the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) targets in 2002, and
the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) such as the CBD, there is a need for
UNEP to focus on coastal marine environmental issues in a coherent way and to assess the
main alterations of the marine ecosystems worldwide as caused by natural and man-made
changes in the driving forces, e.g. climate change; fisheries; pollution; destruction of
habitats; introduction of alien species. Those alterations have serious socio-economic
consequences and hence require policy actions on local, national, regional, and global
levels.
A comprehensive broad marine ecosystem approach is essential as applied by the MA and
GIWA, based on the best available scientific information and being participative with
country experts as in the GEO, GIWA and MA networks. Short, medium and long term
perspectives should be provided for use by policy makers. Multidisciplinary, regional,
global and sub-global and thematic approaches should address all aspects of the
interaction between human society and marine ecosystems.
At present, UNEP´s major efforts in assessing the state of the world´s coastal and marine
environments are scattered over three projects – GEO, GIWA, and MA. None of them is
exclusively dedicated to the coast and sea. Further, GIWA and MA are approaching
completion in less than two years from now leaving GEO as the only global environmental
assessment within UNEP. GEO is a long-standing process but does not have a strong
component on the coastal and marine environment. To ensure a continuous process in the
assessment of the coastal and marine environments, UNEP has developed the idea of the
UNEP Coastal and Marine Module.
3.1 Objective of the UNEP Coastal and Marine Module
The overall objective of the UNEP Coastal and Marine Module is to provide on a regular
basis an independent, scientifically credible, salient, relevant, legitimate, and in-depth
peer reviewed assessment of the status and trends of the major coastal and marine
ecosystems and their role in sustaining human well-being and livelihoods. The aims of the
module are to:
1. Build on and contribute to a conceptual understanding of the interaction
between society and ecosystems, focusing on the vulnerability of people to
changes in ecosystem goods, services, stress, and non-use values;
2. mobilize scientific expertise (experts and institutions) from relevant disciplines
and geographic regions of the world to identify the current state of knowledge
based on relevant research, monitoring, observing and assessment activities;
3. ensure that participating scientist identify: areas of scientific consensus as well
as areas of disagreements, reflecting majority and minority views, gaps in
knowledge; indicators; models; scenarios; and policy relevant, but not policy
prescriptive findings;
4. ensure that processes under the module will facilitate interaction between
scientists and the major relevant environmental policy instruments2 to address
their needs;
2
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Global Plan of Action for Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) and the Regional Seas Programme (RSP).
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5. contain a nested set of activities and outputs building on existing assessment
activities and experiences ranging from global synthesis ecosystem assessments
and thematic assessments to interaction with, and a capacity building support
to sub-global assessments;
6. contribute to the wider objective of keeping the world environmental situation
under review, in particular through the Global Environmental Outlook process
and address inter-linkages with other major biomes of the world; and
7. address how the marine environment can contribute to and how its degradation
can be an obstacle to development goals and targets3 and address interlinkages to assessment of social and economic activities within the wider
context of the assessment undertaken by other agencies and the establishment
of a regular process for the assessment and reporting on the marine
environment.4
3.2 Scope
The Coastal and Marine Module should cover both coastal and marine systems and include
land-based root causes and impacts, taking particularly into account the impacts and
feedback related to ecosystem goods and services. The consequences of those processes
should be considered in relation to the sustainable use and conservation of marine
resources and other socio-economic interaction with the marine environment. These
considerations should lead to the development of indicators, scenarios and policy response
options.
The major aquatic concerns vary considerably between regions and even within regions.
Therefore, regional assessments shall be the first occupation of the coastal and marine
module and shall provide the basis for various types of global assessments and scenarios.
The geographical structure of the assessment has to flexible and based on natural,
political and institutional realities. Existing geographical and programmatic structure like
the LMEs, GIWA regions, deep-sea living and non-living resource management systems
should be used where appropriate.
The geographical regions such as LMEs consist of a number of ecological subsystems which
are more or less intimately connected. In the open ocean and the neritic zone, the
pelagic and benthic systems have to be considered somewhat separately, however. In
coastal waters, an even larger variety exists including, for example, coastal wetlands,
estuaries and deltas, mangroves, coral reefs, seagrass beds. The deep sea floor, deep sea
coral reefs, continental slopes, seamounts and hydrothermal vents require also different
kinds of assessments because of inherent differences in their temporal and spatial scales
of natural variability and human impacts. Nevertheless, generalisations over major parts
of each region and over the entire region are required for transboundary management
purposes.
3
4
Relevant Millennium Development Goals: ensure environmental sustainability; and
relevant WSSD targets in protection/managing natural resource base of socio-economic development:
Target 10 Encourage the application of the ecosystem approach by 2010, noting the Reykjavik Declaration
on responsible fisheries in the marine ecosystem and decision 5/6 of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention on Biological Diversity; Target 14 Advance implementation of the GPA with particular emphasis
in the period 2002-2006 on municipal waste water, physical alteration and destruction of habitat nutrients;
Target 15 Make every effort, to achieve substantial progress by the next GPA conference in 2006 to protect
the marine environment from land-based activities; Target 16 Establish by 2004 a regular process under the
UN for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment; and Target 19 A more
efficient and coherent implementation of the three objective of the convention and the achievement by
2010 of a significant reduction in the current rate of loss of biological diversity.
UNGA Resolution 57/141 paragraph 45
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Aspects to be considered in each ecosystem include, inter alia:
 Status, trends and scenarios in ecosystem conditions, goods, services, stress and
non-use values to humans and human vulnerability, resilience, and adaptability to
changes
 Biogeochemical status, changes trends and scenarios in ecosystem conditions
 Human driving forces
 Human activities and pressures on the ecosystems
 Response developments and options
Based on the ecosystem oriented assessments, theme oriented reports will be required on
crosscutting issues like pollution, fishing and overfishing, habitat destruction and changes
in biodiversity on all levels from communities to genetic units.
3.3 Structure
To meet the need for coastal and marine focus in UNEP, it is proposed to pool the coastal
and marine parts of GEO, GIWA and MA in a common structure under UNEP/DEWA. When
GIWA and MA projects will come to an end in 2004/2005, marine-oriented parts of their
global networks and of their secretariats should, as far as possible, be retained and
merged with marine elements of GEO to form UNEP Coastal and Marine Module with a
common steering group and secretariat and a consolidated network of regional teams and
focal points. Mechanisms have to be established in order to ensure that other units or
centres of UNEP (e.g. GPA, RSP, WCMC, GRID) work closely with the Coastal and Marine
Module and make extensive use of its assessments.
The UNEP Coastal and Marine Assessment Module could consider three categories of
regional assessment of the coastal and marine environment:
1. At-site team approach applying GIWA methodology, particularly in developing
countries.
2. GEF/LME approach applying Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA) and Strategic
Action Program (SAP) with strong support by governments.
3. Approaches used by developed countries/regions such as HELCOM, OSPAR.
While the coastal and marine part of GEO provides a broad overview at global level, an
indication of priority concerns in the various regions of the world’s coasts and oceans can
be obtained from GIWA. The LME project with their five modules on productivity, fish and
fisheries, pollution and ecosystem health, socio-economy, and governance provides a
broad basis for advice on priority actions required to mitigate the impacts of
environmental changes. The emerging network of 18 GEF-sponsored LMEs, mostly in the
shelf regions of the lower latitudes, is of substantial interest for the coastal and marine
assessment as it represents 45% of the global fish landings.
3.4 Methodology
Global and regional reporting and assessment requires a common methodology. The
assessments cannot be encyclopedic but should focus on selected issues and on hot spots
of particular global and/or regional importance. The assessment methodology should be
designed to ensure credibility, saliency, legitimacy, transparency, participation, cost
effectiveness, and financial and institutional continuity. The methodology needs to be
based on experience gained from previous and on-going assessment activities. An
assessment methodology for aquatic systems has been developed and tested by GIWA to
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produce equivalent assessments across the world. Globally applicable indicators for
changes in the state of the marine environment have to be identified. Cost efficient
methods for monitoring those indicators have to be developed.
In addition, analytical methods, such as the broad marine ecosystem approach, the biogeographical approach, socio-economic assessment including cost-benefit analysis and use
of indicators should be considered in the further development of the methodology.
It is important to ensure the quality control of data and information sources. There are a
number of existing guidelines in place (i.a. from IPCC and MA). A proper peer review
process is critical in ensuring the credibility and legitimacy of the assessment. The editing
process is also of vital importance to the quality of the assessment.
For its regional and composite global reports and assessments, information and expertise
can be found in the three major assessments of UNEP and their global networks covering
all coastal, near shore and shelf waters and their hinterland and watersheds. The RSP
provides policy-oriented information on specific regions. The open ocean, however, with
its sea bed and the ocean-atmosphere interface are not included in GIWA or RSP.
3.5 Expected Outputs
Products of the Coastal and Marine Assessment Module could include a series of published
(printed and web-based) assessment reports, such as thematic reports at regional and
global levels as well as synthesis reports, summaries for policymakers and vital graphics,
in-depth global and sub-global assessments, which could be presented and discussed at
international, regional and national workshops involving a wide range of stakeholders,
and, importantly, at different policy fora.
3.6 Governance Structure
The governance structure of the module will be designed to ensure scientific credibility,
saliency, relevance, and legitimacy of the assessments under the module which is subject
to the availability of financial resources. Possible components to be considered, i.a.
a) A multi-stakeholder task force giving overall guidance on the activities of the
module and represented by different user groups from governments, IGOs and
civil society groups.
b) A scientific panel overseeing the assessment process and consisting of two cochairs and the co-ordinating lead authors;
c) Working groups for the assessment of a specific topic chaired by co-ordinating
lead authors and consist of lead authors.
3.7 Capacity building and support to sub-global assessments
Capacity building for developing countries should be integrated in all phases of the
assessment, e.g. identifying assessment issues, networking, assessment, monitoring,
exchange of scientists, training, institutional development. By involving national scientists
in the regional and global assessments, UNEP could, in consequence, assist the developing
countries in building and strengthening their human and institutional capacities in
conducting country-level assessments. These assessments at the national level could help,
in return, fill geographical gaps in assessments and complete the global picture of the
environmental outlook. Importantly, it will help make the assessment process continue
regularly.
Through the ongoing assessment activities, UNEP and other organizations help provide
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technical support to national scientists from academia and governments in various fields
of assessments, e.g. ecosystem, socio-economic, policy assessments. It is critical to
ensure that the effort in capacity building will continue after some of these assessment
activities come to an end. Apart from the technical support, financial implication in
capacity building is also crucial. In support of the participation of developing countries as
part of contribution of UNEP to the global marine assessment, a trust fund has been
established as called for by the UNEP GC 22/1/II.
3.8 Financial and administrative consequences
The ongoing GIWA and MA assessments will contribute directly to the early stages of the
module by products that will be completed in 2004 and 2005. These contributions should
also be seen in the context of the wider intergovernmental consultative process on the
strengthening of UNEP’s science base for environmental monitoring and assessment.
Furthermore, the GPA and the Regional Seas conceptual framework could provide a
platform for the global and regional implementation of the assessment.
It is envisaged that the annual cost of the module will be approximately 1.1 Million. Most
of the fund will have to be mobilized as extrabudgetary resources to the Environment
Fund. A trust fund has been established for ensuring the participation of experts from
developing countries in the assessment process. This participation will be a critical factor
determining the success of the global assessment.
4.
Potential Partners of the UNEP Coastal and Marine Module
As mentioned before, no module of this kind can work in isolation. Geographically UNEP’s
focus falls mainly on the coasts and continental shelves, and thematically on ecosystems
and diversity. To enhance a complete picture of global assessments, the Module must find
partners internally and externally. As for external partners, there are quite a number of
programmes/projects within and outside the UN system that have been working in this
area for decades and could potentially be complemented by the module of UNEP, and vice
versa.
4.1 The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO
The Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO is United Nation’s
specialised agency for marine issues, with the specific mandate to facilitate and
coordinate global marine research, observations and management, and specifically assist
developing countries effectively participate in these efforts.
IOC is representing 129 Member States with shared interest in marine and coastal issues.
The Commission functions through a Secretariat of 40 staff, who works with governments,
research institutions, and different organizations to build capacity for marine research and
management globally. The Secretariat works under the mandate of the Member States,
and assist interaction and integration of activities at the national, regional and global
level. IOC operates through regional and global networks, with HQ based at UNESCO Paris,
France and Regional Offices in Colombia, Kenya, Nigeria, Thailand, and IOC Project Offices
currently in Denmark, Spain and Australia.
The IOC of UNESCO provides Member States of the United Nations with an essential
mechanism for global cooperation in the study of the ocean. The IOC assists governments
to address their individual and collective ocean and coastal problems through the sharing
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of knowledge, information and technology and through the coordination of national
programmes. IOC main programme areas are:




Ocean Science, including Marine and Coastal protection
Gobal Ocean observations
Ocean data management and exchange
Capacity building and mutual assistance
4.2 Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
GOOS is a co-ordinated international system for gathering data about the oceans and seas,
and processing such data to enable the generation of beneficial analytical and prognostic
environmental information services. Based in the IOC Headquarters and sponsored by the
IOC of UNESCO, WMO, UNEP and ICSU, GOOS is part of an Integrated Global Observing
Strategy (IGOS) which is a collaborative effort of UN agencies. The ultimate goal of GOOS
is to encourage and support the development and application of now-casting, forecasting
and predictive capabilities as a means of preserving healthy coastal environments,
promoting sustainable uses of coastal resources, mitigating coastal hazards, and ensuring
safe and efficient marine operations.
GOOS provides information about the present and future states of seas and oceans and
their living resources, and on the role of the oceans in climate change. GOOS promotes
integration of the fragmented coastal environmental research community and its linkage
to user groups like policy makers, environmental and resource managers, NGOs, the
business community, and the public in general, to enable them to get the scientific
information they need to make informed decisions in a timely fashion. See
http://ioc.unesco.org/goos/
4.3 The Large Marine Ecosystems
A Large Marine Ecosystem (LME) is an ecologically defined unit of coastal and oceanic
space for assessment and integrated management. It encompasses coastal areas from
river basins and estuaries to the seaward boundaries of continental shelves and the outer
margins of the major current systems. There are a total of 64 units or LMEs. The LME is
comprised of five modules: (1) productivity, (2) fish and fisheries, (3) pollution and health,
(4) socioeconomics, and (5) governance. The LME approach is used by different
organizations including NOAA, IUCN, IOC of UNESCO. The Global Environment Facility
(GEF) recommends the use of LMEs and their associated watersheds as the geographic area
for the ecosystem-based management projects of shared coastal and marine resources by
two countries or more.
For the GEF-supported LME projects, the implementation involves two processes: (1)
engaging the science community of the participating countries in the process to address
coastal and marine issues and identifying priorities for actions on transboundary concerns,
or so-called the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA); and (2) enabling nations to
jointly determine national and regional policy, legal and institutional reforms and
investments needed to address the priorities, or the Strategic Action Programme (SAP).
See http://www.edc.uri.edu/lme/
4.4 GESAMP
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The Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection
(GESAMP) was established in 1967 by a number of United Nations Agencies. Its role was to
cover all scientific aspects on the prevention, reduction and control of the degradation of
the marine environment to sustain life support systems, resources and amenities.
Functions of GESAMP are:
 Integrate and synthesise regional and thematic assessments and studies to support
global assessments.
 Provide scientific and technical guidance on the design and execution of marine
environment assessments.
 Provide scientific reviews, analyses and advice on thematic topics.
 Provide an overview of the marine environmental assessment activities of UN
agencies and advise on their integration and coordination.
 Identify new and emerging issues.
In 2000 “A Sea of Troubles” report by GESAMP reviewed in a condensed form the present
concerns related to the protection of the marine environment and pointed to the lack of
connection between science community and policy makers in addressing these challenges.
See http://gesamp.imo.org/
4.5 United Nations Atlas of the Oceans
The UN Atlas of the Oceans is an Internet portal providing information relevant to the
sustainable development of the oceans. It is designed for policy-makers who need to
become familiar with ocean issues and for scientists, students and resource managers who
need access to databases and approaches to sustainability. The UN Atlas can also provide
the ocean industry and stakeholders with pertinent information on ocean matters.
The UN Atlas of the Oceans is funded by the United Nations Foundation. In addition, six UN
agencies (FAO, IAEA, IMO, UNEP, WMO, UNESCO/IOC) have committed financial resources
to the project, joined by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD).
Development has been under the lead of the FAO Fisheries Department with additional
participation from national agencies. Collaborators include the Russian Head Department
of Navigation and Oceanography (HDNO), the US NOAA, The Census on Marine Life (CoML)
and the National Geographic Society. The content of the UN Atlas of the Oceans includes:
1. About the oceans: history, biology, maps and statistics to research, climatology
and ecology;
2. Uses of the oceans: fishing, shipping and mining to tourism, dumping and
marine biotechnology;
3. Issues: food security and climate change to governance and human health; and
4. Geography: information categorized by geographical area.
See http://www.oceansatlas.com/
4.6 Regional Assessments
There is a considerable number and great variety of regional assessments originating from
regional conventions, agreements and programs on fisheries and pollution, such as OSPAR.
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The OSPAR Commission
After the Oslo and Paris Conventions were unified in 1992, the OSPAR Commission was
established as a successor to the Oslo and Paris Commissions to administer the Convention
for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic (or the "OSPAR
Convention") and to develop policy and international agreements in this field. OSPAR
Convention involves 15 states in the Northeast Atlantic and the European Community and
is based in London. The 1998 Ministerial Meeting of the OSPAR Commission adopted
strategies to direct its future work in the following four main areas:
a. protection and conservation of ecosystems and biological diversity;
b. hazardous substances;
c. radioactive substances; and
d. eutrophication.
The OSPAR Commission is also required to undertake and publish at regular intervals joint
assessments of the quality status of the marine environment and of its development; and
to evaluate the effectiveness of measures taken or planned for its protection and identify
priorities for action. In 2000 the Commission completed its assessment of the
environmental quality of the Northeast Atlantic, or the Quality Status Report 2000, which
embodied five regional reports. There are close linkages between OSPAR and the
International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) and more recently with the
European Environment Agency (EEA). See www.ospar.org
5.
Conclusion
The development of a coastal and marine module is intended to mobilize and streamline
the contribution of UNEP in the area of assessment of the coastal and marine
environment. In addition, the module concept could potentially be replicated for other
kinds of environmental assessments such as freshwater, land, forest assessment modules
within and outside UNEP.
As for the linkage to the wider global marine assessment, it is envisaged that the module
would be part of the contribution of UNEP to the process which is being coordinated by
the UNDOALOS under the guidance of the UNGA.
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Appendix 1 Short papers from MA, UNEP-WCMC,
CBD, GESAMP, CAR/RCU
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UNEP-WCMC Background Paper
UNEP-WCMC Marine Biodiversity Assessments
Prepared for the Planning Meeting on the Development of a UNEP
Module for the Assessment of the Marine Environment, Nairobi,
Kenya, 19-21st November 2003.
5th November 2003
Ed Green, Head of Marine and Coastal Programme, UNEP-WCMC
Gerardo Fragoso, Head, Species Programme, UNEP-WCMC
Stefan Hain, Head, UNEP Coral Reef Unit
Kristian Teleki, Acting Director, ICRAN
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I.
Introduction
The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) was established in 2000
as the world biodiversity information and assessment centre of the United Nations
Environment Programme. In this capacity UNEP-WCMC provides information for policy
and action to conserve natural resources with activities including assessment studies of forest,
dryland, freshwater as well as marine ecosystems. Research on endangered species and
biodiversity indicators provide policy-makers with vital knowledge on global trends in
conservation and sustainable use of wildlife and their habitats. Extensive use is made of
geographic information systems and other analytical technologies that help to visualise
trends, patterns and emerging priorities for conservation action. Employing around 60 staff,
UNEP-WCMC has a broad range of experience in biodiversity information and management.
Key assessment skills include:
 Specialists in our programme areas: marine biologists, zoologists, geographers,
botanists & foresters;
 Knowledge Management Specialists: designing and managing information systems,
including GIS;
 Locating information from disparate sources and use of electronic communications
networks;
The remit of the Centre was enshrined in UNEP GC Decision 22/1.II, particularly substantive
paragraphs
(1) Provision of biodiversity information, in cooperation with the CBD and in support of
the WSSD PoI
(2) Establishment of a network of collaborating centres in developing countries
II. Marine Biodiversity Assessments at UNEP-WCMC
Assessments of marine biodiversity are coordinated by the Marine and Coastal Programme at
UNEP-WCMC, with some assessments of marine species of particular interest to CITES and
CMS (e.g. marine turtles) being lead by the Species Programme. The work on coral reefs and
associated ecosystems is broadened and strengthened by two units hosted by UNEP-WCMC,
the UNEP Coral Reef Unit and International Coral Reef Action Network, focussing on policy
and on-the-ground action respectively, as well as the provision of Secretariat services to the
UK-Seychelles Joint Secretariat of the International Coral Reef Initiative (ICRI).
Scope
Although UNEP-WCMC marine biodiversity assessments have, in the main, focussed on
tropical ecosystems and species, the scope of assessments is not restricted by any aspect of
the Centre’s remit and it remains a strategic priority to extend the methodologies to
biodiversity assessments at higher latitudes. Assessments of genetic diversity have, however,
not been carried out so far. The scope of this work covers:
 marine ecosystems e.g. mangroves, coral reefs, seagrasses and, most recently, deep
and cold water coral reefs (CRU discussion paper for ICRI)
 species e.g. turtles (distribution of nesting beaches), coral reef aquarium species (trade
volumes and ecology), population trends (20 species of concern), dugongs
(conservation action plan)
 threats to marine biodiversity e.g. regional & global models of risk to coral reefs from
human activities.
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

present levels of ecosystem protection (calculation of the proportion of the world’s
coral reefs which are inside existing Marine Protected Areas (MPAs), lists of MPAs
containing mangroves and seagrasses)
ecological sensitivity analyses in the Mediterranean, Caspian, Baltic and Black Seas
Methodologies
Various methods are employed, but UNEP-WCMC’s core strength in assessments is locating,
compiling and standardising data from disparate information sources, worldwide. The
Centre’s networks in academia, conservation groups (e.g. IUCN SSC groups), conventions
(e.g. the national focal points of the CBD) and amongst international, national and local
NGOs are a key resource in achieving this. The networks of collaborating centres in
developing nations to be developed in response to GC Decision 22/1.II will further
consolidate these existing assessment partnerships. Data are analysed spatially and
statistically. Two examples serve best to illustrate two different types of approaches used.
(1) World Atlas of Seagrasses (2003). Prior to this project no global data on the distribution
or status of seagrasses existed. UNEP-WCMC therefore conducted a review of scientific and
grey literature, as well as requesting donations of data in the form of maps and reports. Paper
based data were digitised, standardised with electronic maps and used to produce draft
regional seagrass distribution and diversity (distribution of species) maps. Twenty seagrass
experts, mostly members of the World Seagrass Association (WSA), from around the world
were invited to prepare a status report on seagrasses for their research areas and to review the
draft UNEP-WCMC maps during a workshop in 2001. Further data submission and revision
was facilitated by posting the maps on the UNEP-WCMC Interactive Map Service (IMAPS):
the final dataset is based on more than 500 referenced sources. More seagrass scientists
offered status reports for other areas of the world. All reports were revised and edited into
chapters for a global atlas. UNEP-WCMC produced a global overview of seagrass drawing
from the resultant global databases. The World Atlas of Seagrasses consists of this overview
and 24 regional/national chapters written by 58 authors.
(2) The Living Planet Index (LPI) was first developed in 1997 by WWF and WCMC as an
attempt to answer the question, “how fast is nature disappearing?” by making effective and
quantitative use of available yet imperfect data. The LPI is an aggregation of three separate
biome indexes (the marine index includes 217 bird, mammal, reptile and fish species, from
both open-water and coastal ecosystems) each based on an underlying dataset of population
trends in a large number of animal species. The trend line represents the average change
within the entire collection of population samples within the study period, giving equal
weight to each species, whether common or rare, and to small and large populations. To
generate the index, the geometric mean change in all populations is calculated by averaging
the logarithm of all data points for each five-year interval and then finding the anti-logarithm.
This approach avoids unequal weighting due to population size and the asymmetry associated
with using percent change. An arbitrary baseline at the start of the period analysed is then set
(in the case of the LPI the baseline is set at 100 for year 1970) and the population change
calculated for each successive five-year interval.
The advent of cost-effective imagery, software and hardware means that remote sensing is
now a major resource for biodiversity assessments. UNEP-WCMC has the capacity to carry
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out some remote sensing in house but increasingly is collaborating with specialist
organisations in this field, e.g. NASA.
Outputs
 Books: World Atlases of Mangroves (1997), Coral Reefs (2001), Biodiversity (2002),
Seagrasses (2003)
 Scientific papers in the peer-reviewed literature (e.g. papers in Science, Ambio, Coral
Reefs, Biological Conservation, Tropical Coasts)
 Reports, including the UNEP-WCMC Biodiversity Series: e.g. Living Planet Index,
From Ocean to Aquarium, Mangroves of East Africa, Reefs at Risk
 On-line maps and databases: e.g. Oil Spill Emergency Response and Planning System
 Field guides: e.g. A Field Guide to Coral Diseases and Mortality in the Wider
Caribbean
 Educational materials for teachers: e.g. WorldWatch lesson guides and posters
III. Contributions to the Global Marine Assessment
UNEP-WCMC’s experience and expertise will ensure that marine biodiversity is
appropriately taken into account in the GMA, via assistance with:
Inputs: UNEP-WCMC will provide the GMA with quantitative biodiversity data of the
highest quality. Not only would existing databases be updated and made available but
planned future assessments of mangroves, alien species, small island biodiversity and the
impact of high-seas fishing would generate new data. The latter two are gaps in the coverage
of existing marine assessments. The establishment of networks of collaborating biodiversity
assessment centres in developing nations will catalyse access to marine biodiversity data
which has largely been absent from previous and existing assessments, and ensure that these
areas – which in many cases are hotspots of marine biodiversity – are covered by the GMA as
equally as the more intensively surveyed waters of developed nations. This will most likely
be achieved through making different databases interoperable across the internet. Models of
threats will assist the development of scenario and predictions of future change in marine
biodiversity.
Outputs: UNEP-WCMC will help disseminate the biodiversity findings of the GMA via
specialist technical reports, provision of on-line access to interoperable databases and through
the production of landmark publications such as a potential Marine Biodiversity Atlas.
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Convention on
Biological Diversity
Secretariat
The Convention on Biological Diversity and
the Global Marine Assessment
1. Background
Accurate assessments of the status and trends of biodiversity are central to the successful
implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. At the present time, the need for
such assessments is greater than ever, due to the adoption by the Convention of the target of
achieving by 2010 a significant reduction of the current rate of biodiversity loss at the global,
regional and national level. This target was adopted as part of the Convention’s Strategic Plan
and endorsed in the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable
Development. The Global Marine Assessment could be an invaluable tool for measuring
progress made towards this target in the marine environment.
The Convention is also in the process of considering a number of more specific outcomeoriented sub-targets, which would refer to specific, marine and coastal-oriented goals, such as
the development of a global system of marine and coastal protected areas, making fisheries
and mariculture sustainable, blocking the pathways of alien invasions, and increasing
ecosystem resilience to climate change. These targets will still need to be endorsed by the
Conference of the Parties at its seventh meeting in February 2004. However, regardless of the
exact nature and language used in these targets, the Convention will need to be able to
reliably assess progress made in achieving these targets through a variety of indicators.
2. User needs
In order to assess progress made towards the 2010 target, the Secretariat would need regular
information of the status of biodiversity at the ecosystems, species and genetic levels. Some
potential areas to be covered might include (but not be limited to) the following:
 Status of biodiversity on the ecosystem and habitat level (both in areas inside and
outside of national jurisdiction), including
o Extent of and changes in marine ecosystems and habitats (including degree of
habitat modification and loss)
o Trophic integrity of marine ecosystems
o Major threats
o Percentage and effectiveness of protection
 Status of biodiversity on the level of species, including
o Inventories of all marine species
o Number of threatened and endangered species and changes in such numbers
o Identification of life history characteristics that make marine species
vulnerable to extinction
 Status of biodiversity on the level of genes/genomes
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




o Genetically effective population size of marine and coastal species (if
possible)
o Range contraction of marine and coastal species
o Degree of selective pressure (including selective harvesting techniques)
applied on marine and coastal species
o Genetic diversity of fish stocks, marine turtles and other well-studied species
Major threats to marine and coastal biodiversity and their status
o Number and severity of alien invasions in marine and coastal ecosystems
o Severity of land-based and ship-based pollution
o Severity of climate change induced effects
Effectiveness of legal and other instruments, including gaps
o Effectiveness of measures for controlling unintentional introductions of alien
species
o Effectiveness of fisheries management regimes
o Degree to which the ecosystem approach is implemented for management of
marine resources
o Effectiveness of integrated coastal and ocean management regimes
o Management of high seas resources
Livelihoods of local communities dependent on marine and coastal resources
o Trends in local community livelihoods
o Degree of participation of local communities in resource management
o Utilization of traditional knowledge in resource management
Recommendations for response measures
o What actions should be undertaken as priorities in order to halt/reduce the loss
of biodiversity?
Future forecasts/scenarios
o What would happen if things continues as they are? What would happen if
certain response measures are implemented?
3. Available information at the Secretariat, which could contribute to the GMA
Article 26 requires the Parties to present reports to the Conference of the Parties on measures
taken to implement the Convention and the effectiveness of those measures in meeting the
Convention’s objectives. The reporting process is key to enabling the Conference of the
Parties to assess the overall status of the implementation of the Convention. To date, two sets
of national reports have been received, and all of them are available on the Convention’s web
site at http://www.biodiv.org/world/reports.aspx. A third national report will be due in May
2005. National reports are due approximately every four years. In addition, a number of
thematic reports have been submitted on topics such as protected areas and alien species.
The national reports contain information on activities that countries have undertaken to
implement the Convention. Increasingly, however, there are initiatives to include indicators
of status (and changes in status) of biodiversity into the national reports. The seventh meeting
of the Conference of the Parties in February 2004 will need to consider the format of the third
national reports. Depending on the outcome, it is possible that some information regarding
the status and trends of marine and coastal biodiversity will be available in the third national
report in 2005.
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GESAMP Background Paper
GESAMP5 is a multi-disciplinary group of experts, established in 1969, that advises the
United Nations (UN) system on scientific aspects of marine environmental protection.
GESAMP exists first to satisfy the international policy requirement for a cross-sectoral,
interdisciplinary, and science-based approach to marine environmental affairs, and second to
meet the practical need for coordination and cooperation among UN agencies.
GESAMP consists of up to 30 experts in natural and social scientific disciplines relevant to
marine environmental protection who act in an individual capacity and not as representatives
of governments, institutions, or organizations. Particular projects are usually carried out by
specialist working groups including experts who are not current members of GESAMP. This
broadens the network of experts involved in GESAMP activities and allows expertise to be
tailored to projects.
GESAMP's mission is "to provide authoritative, independent, interdisciplinary scientific
advice to organizations and governments to support the protection and sustainable use of the
marine environment" and its functions are, in response to requests, to:
1. Integrate and synthesise the results of regional and thematic assessments and
scientific studies to support global assessments of the marine environment;
2. Provide scientific and technical guidance on the design and execution of marine
environmental assessments; and
3. Provide scientific reviews, analyses, and advice on specific topics relevant to the
condition of the marine environment, its investigation, protection, and/or
management.
And on a regular basis, to:
4. Provide an overview of the marine environmental monitoring, assessment, and related
activities of UN agencies and advise on how these activities might be improved and
better integrated and coordinated; and
5. Identify new and emerging issues regarding the degradation of the marine
environment that are of relevance to governments and sponsoring organizations.
GESAMP has produced 4 broad assessments of the state of the global marine environment,
most recently in 2001. A recent independent evaluation concluded that these assessments
have been among its most influential work. In addition, GESAMP has conducted some 43 indepth technical studies and thematic assessments on a range of topics including marine
environmental assessment. Thus, assessment of the marine environment is at the core of
GESAMP's mission, activities, and expertise.
In the emerging picture of the GMA it is clear that the process should be rooted in national
and regional assessments. A scientific panel at the global international level, however, is
required for the scientific design of the global assessment process, the synthesis of regional
assessments into periodic global scientific reports, and to interact with governments and other
major stakeholders in the production of global assessment reports ("policy oriented" reports.)
5
the IMO/FAO/UNESCO- IOC/WMO/WHO/IAEA/UN/UNEP Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific
Aspects of Marine Environmental Protection
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GESAMP is well-placed for a lead role in this global scientific panel. Its scientific credibility
as "a source of agreed, independent scientific advice6" has been acknowledged by CSD and
is further demonstrated by the frequent citation of GESAMP reports in the peer-reviewed
scientific literature7. GESAMP's status as the only existing interagency mechanism for
scientific cooperation on marine environmental assessment within the UN system enhances
its legitimacy, another essential characteristic of effective assessments. The approach to the
delivery of policy-relevant scientific advice regarding the marine environment in the newly
developed strategic vision for GESAMP is very much in line with the two-tier approach
envisioned for the GMA8, in which the preparation of an independent scientific report is
separated from the development of a policy report through consultation with governments
and other stakeholders.
GESAMP does not envision the global scientific panel undertaking or taking a leading role in
the regional assessments that should drive the GMA, which must become part of the routine
work of national and regional bodies for the GMA to be a regular process. Nonetheless there
should be strong links between the global panel and regional assessment mechanism both to
ensure that the global design is relevant and feasible at the regional level and to foster the
comparability of regional assessments and their utility for the purposes of global assessment.
To this end GESAMP is strengthening its regional ties, for example through participating in
regional conferences and workshops and soliciting nominations to the GESAMP expert pool
from regional organizations. GESAMP also offers the scientific expertise to provide scientific
guidance and backstopping in support of national regional assessments and to conduct indepth analyses of specific sectoral and technical issues as required by the GMA.
6
CSD, Report on the Fourth Session, doc. E.CN.17/1996/38, decision 4/15, para 45c.
Cordes, unpubl. ms. 2002. Is grey literature ever used? A case study of publications of GESAMP, an
international non-governmental scientific organization. Dalhousie University.
8
Proceedings of the Technical Workshop for Establishing a Regular Process for the Global Assessment of the
Marine Environment. Bremen (Germany): 18-20 March 2002, para. 57.
7
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Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
Background paper for input to development of UNEP module for the assessment of the marine environment,
Nairobi, 19-21 November 2003
The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MA) is an international work program designed to
meet the needs of decision makers and the public for scientific information concerning the
consequences of ecosystem change for human well-being and options for responding to those
changes. The MA will help to meet assessment needs of the CBD, CCD, Ramsar Convention,
and the CMS, as well as needs of other users in the private sector and civil society. If the MA
proves to be useful to its stakeholders, it is anticipated that assessment processes modeled on
the MA may be regularly conducted at a range of scales.
The MA focuses on ecosystem services (the benefits people obtain from ecosystems), how
changes in ecosystem services have affected human well-being, how ecosystem changes may
affect people in future decades, and response options that might be adopted at local, national,
or global scales to improve ecosystem management and thereby contribute to human wellbeing and poverty alleviation. The specific issues being addressed by the assessment have
been defined through consultation with the MA users, and include an assessment of coastal
and marine systems (and island and polar systems), and the ecosystem services derived from
these systems.
The MA will:
 Identify priorities for action;
 Provide tools for planning and management;
 Provide foresight concerning the consequences of decisions affecting ecosystems;
 Identify response options to achieve human development and sustainability goals;
 Help build individual and institutional capacity to undertake integrated ecosystem
assessments and to act on their findings.
The MA synthesizes information from the scientific literature, datasets, and scientific models,
and makes use of knowledge held by the private sector, practioners, local communities and
indigenous peoples. All of the MA findings undergo rigorous peer review.
A Board comprised of representatives of international conventions, UN agencies, scientific
organizations and leaders from the private sector, civil society, and indigenous organizations
governs the MA. A 13-member Assessment Panel of leading social and natural scientists
oversees the technical work of the assessment supported by a highly distributed secretariat,
with offices in Europe, North America, Asia, and Africa and coordinated by UNEP. More
than 500 authors are involved in four expert working groups preparing the global assessment
and hundreds more are undertaking more than a dozen sub-global assessments. All findings
from the MA will undergo two rounds of peer-review, involving more than a 1000 additional
scientists, and decision-makers.
The MA is a “multiscale” assessment, consisting of interlinked assessments undertaken at
local, watershed, national, regional and global scales. The MA sub-global assessments
directly meet needs of decision-makers at the scale at which they are undertaken, strengthen
the global findings with on-the-ground reality, and strengthen the local findings with global
perspectives, data, and models. Sub-global assessments that have been approved or are being
planned as components of the MA, and which include coastal or marine elements include:
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Arafura and Timor Seas; Coastal British Columbia, Canada; the Caribbean Sea; Sinai
Peninsula, Egypt; Indonesia; small islands of Papua New Guinea; Portugal; Saudi Arabia;
Sweden; and Trinidad and Tobago.
Within the MA global assessment, marine issues are being addressed inter alia in the
following ways:
Condition and Trends Working Group
The Condition Working Group assessment report contains a chapter addressing the current
condition and trends for each of coastal systems and marine systems (also for island systems
and polar systems), in terms of their ability to provide ecosystem services. For each of these
systems, and the various subsystems, information is presented on the most important
ecosystem services derived from the system, the condition and trends in these services, the
most important drivers of change in the systems, the trade-offs, synergies and management
interventions in the system, and on the causal linkages between changes in the system and
associated human well-being.
Scenarios Working Group
A range of global and regional marine and fisheries models has been run to contribute
quantitative information to the storylines of the Scenarios Working Group. Three regional
models are being run specifically: for the Gulf of Thailand (coastal shelf system); Central
North Pacific (pelagic system); and the Benguella Current (upwelling system). Each of these
regional models will reflect the 4 scenarios being developed through the MA, will derive a
biodiversity index of fishery landings, and will allow for a discussion on plausible changes at
the regional scale for a number of subsystem types. The four storylines include plausible
futures of fisheries and aquaculture, including landing changes and the value of the landings
for the regional models for each scenario. There will also be a general narrative of plausible
changes on a global scale, such as shallow systems warming, reduction in coral reefs and
increase in disease, and species distributions shifting in open ocean systems.
Responses Working Group
The responses working group will provide an assessment of the effectiveness of various
management interventions, including of Marine Protected Areas, and ICZM. Policies relating
to marine fisheries and coastal protection from floods and storms will also be assessed.
A report describing the approach and methods used in the MA – Ecosystems and Human
Well-being: A Framework for Assessment – has recently been published. The technical
assessment reports produced by each of the four MA working groups will be published in
2005, along with short syntheses distilling the findings for ease of use by specific audiences.
Each of the MA sub-global assessments will produce additional reports to meet the needs of
their own audiences. All printed materials will be complemented by an information- and datarich Internet site, capacity-building activities, and briefings and workshops designed to help
communicate the findings, tools and methods of the assessment.
A summary of MA contributions to the regular assessment of the marine environment:
1: Conceptual Framework linking ecosystems and people
2: Global assessment findings for marine systems and subsystems
 Baseline information on condition and trends of marine (sub)systems
 Impacts of changes in marine systems on people
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Nairobi, Kenya, 19-21 November 2003
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

Plausible futures of marine systems
Effectiveness of policies relating to marine systems
3: Ongoing multiscale, multidisciplinary assessments of marine and coastal systems
4: Process and institutional arrangement delivering credible, legitimate and salient
findings
5: Building capacity for assessment of marine systems and ecosystem services
 For conducting assessment and using assessment findings
 Capacity through individual scientists and institutions
 Capacity through sub-global assessments and networks
Additionally, the MA is collaborating with GIWA via an MoU, in which all MA coastal and
marine authors are made aware of the GIWA reports as they become available, and GIWA
will be inputting to the review of the MA draft findings.
Towards a UNEP Module for the Assessment of the Coastal and Marine Environment
Nairobi, Kenya, 19-21 November 2003
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The Role of the Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU)
and the Needs of the Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP)
by
Luc St-Pierre, CEPNET Programme Officer
UNEP-CAR/RCU, Kingston, Jamaica
The Caribbean Regional Coordinating Unit (CAR/RCU) is the Secretariat to the Cartagena
Convention and its Protocols, serving 28 nations and territories of the Wider Caribbean
Region. Implementation of these legal instruments at the national level is a major
challenge to the Member States and the Secretariat. CAR/RCU has a supportive role in the
execution of the main marine and coastal assessment of UNEP, including the various
Global Environment Outlook (GEO) volumes and Global International Waters Assessment
(GIWA) (region 3 and 4). This was limited to facilitating the identification of regional
experts, acquisition of specific datasets, revision of draft documents and participation at a
few workshops.
In the interest of the Member States of the Caribbean Environment Programme (CEP) and
assessment quality, the Regional Units of the Regional Seas Programmes must have a much
deeper involvement in the design, implementation, review and dissemination of global
assessment based on regional components.
Regional Coordinating Units have access to a wealth of information and are themselves
generators of sectoral assessments. For example: overviews of land-based sources of
pollution; state of the coast reports; clearinghouse for the Global Programme of Action
(GPA); reef assessment; and national thematic assessment (e.g. Integrating Watershed and
Coastal Area Management (IWCAM)). Specifically, if given resources, CAR/RCU could also
better support on-going regional assessments such as the Caribbean Sea Ecosystem
Assessment (CARSEA), part of the Millennium Assessment.
A global assessment is built with regional blocks that must also serve the regions
themselves, in their own specific ways. In the Caribbean there is need for:
 information on sources of marine and coastal pollution;
 development of networks of experiences, expertise and contacts;
 information for National Programmes of Action (NPA/GPA);
 guidance for national policies;
 contingency plans;
 etc.
CAR/RCU recommends that a permanent global assessment promote regional
scientific/technical capabilities and knowledge, first to improve its own impact. Financial
resources for such an assessment must be regionalized through the Regional Seas
Programme or others. This will help make an assessment much more suitable (design,
implementation and output) to specific regional needs.
For this CAR/RCU wishes to be a “closer” partner to the GMA process, from its inception.
We thank the organizers of this Meeting for having invited us as this is the first step
towards this partnership.
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Nairobi, Kenya, 19-21 November 2003
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Appendix 2 LIST OF ACRONYMS
CBD
Convention on Biological Diversity
FAO
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
GBA
Global Biodiversity Assessment
GEF
Global Environment Facility
GEO
Global Environment Outlook
GESAMP
Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental
Protection
GIWA
Global International Waters Assessment
GMA
Global Marine Assessment
GPA
Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment
from Land-based Activities
GRID
Global Resource Information Database centre
ICSU
International Council for Science
IOC/UNESCO
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
IPCC
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
LME
Large Marine Ecosystems
MA
Millennium Ecosystem Assessment
NGOs
Non-Governmental Organisations
RSP
Regional Seas Programme
UNCED
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
UN DOALOS
United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
UNEP
United Nations Environment Programme
UNEP-DEWA
UNEP Division of Early Warning and Assessment
UNEP GC/GMEF
UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum
UNEP-WCMC
UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre
UNESCO
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization
UNGA
United Nations General Assembly
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