Governance brief with IDDRI
Marine areas beyond national jurisdictions (ABNJ) represent about half of the planet's surface and are home to a significant portion of its biodiversity. These areas are under increasing pressure due to the intensification of anthropogenic activities, including pollution, overexploitation of fish resources, habitat destruction, warming and acidification of the oceans.
In recent years, the international community has gradually become aware of the growing threats on marine biodiversity in ABNJ. For example, in 2015, after ten years of scientific debate, legal controversy and political negotiations, States finally agreed to open negotiations for an international agreement on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in these areas. In parallel with the ongoing international discussions, some regional organizations have gradually expanded their activities in the ABNJ: for example regional fisheries management organizations (tuna vessels in particular) and certain regional seas programs (in the North East Atlantic or Southern Ocean, for example).
In the Western Indian Ocean, there are a large number of organizations, mechanisms and projects dedicated to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity. However, very few initiatives now extend into ABNJ. Activities within the Nairobi Convention for the Protection, Management and Development of the Marine and Coastal Environment of the Western Indian Ocean Region, for example, do not extend beyond economic zones Coastal States.
Nevertheless, the countries of the region are showing a growing interest in ensuring the conservation in ABNJ. In this respect, three conditions seem to be necessary for action: First, it is necessary to clearly highlight the political and legal room for maneuver that the countries of the region can exploit; the ocean governance framework is indeed complex, and States must therefore navigate carefully, taking into account the obligations imposed by the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea. Such an exercise has been performed in the framework of the FFEM-SWIO project and presented to the States of the region. Second, states need to be informed about ecosystem connectivity and to understand that the good health of their coastal waters depends largely on the situation prevailing in ABNJ. For this reason, in March 2016, the FFEM-SWIO project organized a scientific workshop presenting connectivity data in the Western Indian Ocean. Finally, and perhaps most importantly, the actors of the region must be aware of the beauty and fragility of the ecosystems located in ABNJ. It is often said that one protects only what one knows. And this is all the interest of the scientific expedition at sea in progress: it will bring back data and images which, hopefully, will eventually convince states to take action as soon as possible.