Conservation Of Marine Living Resources Research Articles

Protecting Antarctica through Co-production of actionable science: Lessons from the CCAMLR marine protected area process

Global threats to ocean biodiversity have driven international targets calling for a worldwide network of marine protected areas (MPAs). In line with these targets, the Commission on the Conservation of Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has been working towards adopting MPAs in the Southern Ocean. CCAMLR is considered a leader in science-based management and has been guiding the way on international MPAs. The west Antarctic Peninsula, threatened by climate change and industrial fishing, has been a priority area for MPA planning in CCAMLR. Since 2011, Chile and Argentina have worked to develop an Antarctic Peninsula MPA proposal which they submitted to CCAMLR in 2018. We use the Antarctic Peninsula MPA proposal process as a case study for understanding the science-policy interface in this international conservation regime. Specifically, we use existing frameworks for co-production of actionable science to examine the Antarctic Peninsula MPA process. We show that the Antarctic Peninsula MPA Proponents engaged in a highly collaborative, transparent, and science-based process which exemplified best practices for actionable science and co-production. Despite following best practices for actionable science, the MPA proposal has not yet been adopted, largely due to political barriers. We elaborate on the importance of co-production of actionable science and its effectiveness as well as to limitations in the Southern Ocean and beyond. Finally, we highlight that science-policy best practices may not be sufficient to drive consensus and the ultimate need for political will in the decision-making underpinning MPA designation in the Southern Ocean.

Business briefs: AnVa Polytech's eco-rubber approved for the pipes and fittings application

Globally, few protected areas exist in areas beyond the jurisdiction of a single state. However, for over 50 years the Antarctic protected areas system has operated in a region governed through multi-national agreement by consensus. We examined the Antarctic Treaty System to determine how protected area designation under a multi-party framework may evolve. The protected areas system, now legislated through the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention on the Conservation of Marine Living Resources, remains largely unsystematic and underdeveloped. Since the Antarctic Treaty entered into force in 1961, the original signatory Parties – and Parties with territorial claims in particular − have dominated work towards the designation of protected areas in the region. The distribution of protected areas proposed by individual Parties has largely reflected the location of Parties’ research stations which, in turn, is influenced by national geopolitical factors. Recently non-claimant Parties have become more involved in area protection, with a concurrent increase in areas proposed by two or more Parties. However, overall, the rate of protected area designation has almost halved in the past 10 years. We explore scenarios for the future development of Antarctic protected areas and suggest that the early engagement of Parties in collaborative area protection may strengthen the protected areas system and help safeguard the continent’s values for the future. Furthermore, we suggest that the development of Antarctica’s protected areas system may hold valuable insights for area protection in other regions under multi-Party governance, or areas beyond national jurisdiction such as the high seas or outer space.

The spatial distribution of Antarctica’s protected areas: A product of pragmatism, geopolitics or conservation need?

Globally, few protected areas exist in areas beyond the jurisdiction of a single state. However, for over 50 years the Antarctic protected areas system has operated in a region governed through multi-national agreement by consensus. We examined the Antarctic Treaty System to determine how protected area designation under a multi-party framework may evolve. The protected areas system, now legislated through the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty and the Convention on the Conservation of Marine Living Resources, remains largely unsystematic and underdeveloped. Since the Antarctic Treaty entered into force in 1961, the original signatory Parties – and Parties with territorial claims in particular − have dominated work towards the designation of protected areas in the region. The distribution of protected areas proposed by individual Parties has largely reflected the location of Parties’ research stations which, in turn, is influenced by national geopolitical factors. Recently non-claimant Parties have become more involved in area protection, with a concurrent increase in areas proposed by two or more Parties. However, overall, the rate of protected area designation has almost halved in the past 10 years. We explore scenarios for the future development of Antarctic protected areas and suggest that the early engagement of Parties in collaborative area protection may strengthen the protected areas system and help safeguard the continent’s values for the future. Furthermore, we suggest that the development of Antarctica’s protected areas system may hold valuable insights for area protection in other regions under multi-Party governance, or areas beyond national jurisdiction such as the high seas or outer space.

International law problems of the istablishment of marine protected areas

RETRACTED Review. The article is devoted to the analysis of international law aspects of protection of marine biodiversity and its main component, namely, Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The authors propose the international law definition of the MPA. They also analyze the definitions of MPAs set forth in legislation of states. The reasons and grounds for establishing such areas are considered Types of MPAs are considered in more detail. It is noted that at present the following types can be distinguished: marine protected areas, particularly sensitive sea areas; areas of protection of the world cultural heritage, protected areas or areas where special measures need to be taken to conserve biological diversity, marine protected areas per se. The article analyzes the provisions of international treaties, as well as recommendatory acts, that provide for the possibility and necessity of the establishment of MPAs. Much attention is paid to the United Nations' contribution to the development of the institute of MPAs. The large role of the UN Secretary-General in the process of determining the role of MPAs in the conservation of marine living resources and biodiversity is noted. Resolutions of the UN General Assembly are presented and considered. It was noted that particular attention should be paid to the UN Resolution adopted in 2015 «Development of an international legally-binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea on the conservation andsustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction». During the development of a legally binding instrument MPAs establishment problems will be examined. In addition to the United Nations, the activities of other international intergovernmental organizations on various issues concerning MPAs, namely FAO, UNESCO, NEAFC, have been analyzed. The authors give examples of establishing MPAs in the waters under the jurisdiction of a number of countries: Canada, USA, Japan, Mexico and Cuba. National legal acts, in accordance with which such areas have been established, have been determined and analyzed. Special attention is paid to the activities of the CCAMLR aimed at establishing MPAs in the area of regulation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources 1980. It is noted that the organization is actively taking various measures to establish such areas. The CCAMLR decisions have been subjected to thorough analysis. As the result of the consideration of problems mentioned above, the authors suggest that an international code on the legal status of MPAs should be developed and adopted.

Distribution, density and relative abundance of Antarctic krill estimated by maximum likelihood geostatistics on acoustic data collected during commercial fishing operations

There is a substantial harvest for Antarctic krill in the Southern Ocean, but little regular scientific monitoring of the resource. Recently, however, the Commission for the Conservation of Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR) has initialised a process to make use of acoustic data from commercial fisheries to increase the amount of relevant information available for making management decisions. We here provide an example where 34 days of acoustic data, collected during commercial krill fishing operations on the vessel ‘Saga Sea’ were processed to produce probability of presence, conditional density and relative abundance estimates on monthly, weekly and daily basis. Data were analyzed using a maximum likelihood time-series and geostatistical approaches, selected to account for the lack of sampling design, and likely correlation in space and time. The applied method showed low sensitivity of monthly estimates to different repeated measure criteria and location sub-settings. Most weekly estimates, but the last one, were also consistent with the full data (monthly) estimate. Highly variable and lower estimates were obtained, however, from daily data sets. Although our results suggest the method had provided an adequate treatment for time and space correlation, we were not able to evaluate potential bias due to preferential sampling of high density krill aggregations and/or limited area coverage within short time periods. The results suggest that this method, combined with some additional design based coverage by the fishing vessels, can be useful to obtain quantitative evaluations of krill density and distribution for management purposes.

Antarctic Resources Policy: Scientific, Legal and Political Issues.

1. Antarctic resources policy: an introduction Francisco Orrego Vicuna Part I. The State of Antarctic Knowledge and Experience: 2. Antarctica: its history and development V. E. Fuchs 3. The living resources of the Southern Ocean: a scientific overview George A. Knox 4. The mineral resources of Antarctica: progress in their identification Tore Gjelsvik 5. Environmental factors in the development of Antarctica M. W. Holdgate 6. Cooperation in the Antarctic: a quarter of a century's experience J. A. Heap Part II. The Policy for the Conservation of the Living Resources of Antarctica: 7. Scientific and economic considerations relating to the conservation of marine living resources in Antarctica D. L. Powell 8. The implementation of the Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources: needs and problems Takesi Nagata 9. The regime for the conservation of Antarctica's living resources Josyane Couratier 10. The Canberra Convention: objectives and political aspects of its negotiation Fernando Zegers Part III. The Policy for the Exploration and Exploitation of the Mineral Resources of Antarctica: 11. Geologic data and its impact on the discussion on a regime for mineral resources Oscar Gonzalez-Ferran 12. Basic conditions for the exploration and exploitation of mineral resources in Antarctica: options and experiences Egil Bergsager 13. Oil as a special resource: problems and experiences Gilbert Guillaume 14. An overview of the problems which should be addressed in the preparation of a regime governing the mineral resources of Antarctica C. D. Beeby 15. The definition of a regime on Antarctic mineral resources: basic options Francisco Orrego Vicuna 16. Criteria for access to the resources of Antarctica: alternatives, procedure and experience applicable Keith Brennan Part IV. Issues on Antarctica and the Law of the Sea: 17. The application of the law of the sea to the Antarctic continent Alfred Van der Essen 18. The application of the law of the sea and the exclusive economic zone to the Antarctic continent Francisco Orrego Vicuna 19. The continental shelf of Antarctica: legal implications for a regime on mineral resources Maria Teresa Infante Part V. The Policy for Antarctic Cooperation: 20. Antarctica's role in international relations Roberto E. Guyer 21. Alternatives for cooperation and institutionalisation in Antarctica: outlook for the 1990s R. Tucker Scully 22. Resource development in polar regions: comments on technology E. F. Roots 23. Jurisdictional problems in relation to Antarctic mineral resources in political perspective Finn Sollie.