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1.Expresses its gratitude to the European Commission for providing financial resources for, to the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for hosting, and to the International Maritime Organization for collaborating in the organization of the Expert Workshop on Underwater Noise and its Impacts on Marine and Coastal Biodiversity (IMO Headquarters, London, 25‑27 February 2014);
2.Welcomes the report of the workshop1 and notes that there has been a significant amount of research into the impacts of underwater noise on aquatic life over the past few decades, but that there remain significant questions that require further study, with the largest gaps in knowledge relating to fishes, invertebrates, turtles and birds, and additional knowledge gaps relating to the characteristics of major sound sources, trends in the prevalence and magnitude, as well as the intensity and spatial distribution of underwater noise and the potential impacts of underwater noise on ecosystems and animal populations, including implications of cumulative and synergistic impacts of multiple sources of noise and other stressors;
3.Encourages Parties and other Governments as well as indigenous and local communities and other relevant stakeholders, to take appropriate measures, as appropriate and within their competencies, and in accordance with national and international laws, to avoid, minimize and mitigate the potential significant adverse impacts of anthropogenic underwater noise on marine and coastal biodiversity, such as:
(a)Defining and differentiating types or intensities of underwater noise where there are adverse impacts, and characterizing noise by source;
(b)Conducting further research on the remaining significant knowledge gaps noted in paragraph 2 above;
(c)Developing and transferring quieter technologies, and applying the best available practice in all relevant activities;
(d)Including areas that are affected by different levels of sound when mapping the spatial and temporal distribution of sound;
(e)Combining acoustic mapping with habitat mapping of sound-sensitive species with regard to spatial risk assessments in order to identify areas where those species may be exposed to noise impacts;
(f)Mitigating and managing anthropogenic underwater noise through the use of spatio‑temporal management of activities, relying on sufficiently detailed temporal and spatial knowledge of species or population distribution patterns combined with the ability to avoid generating noise in the area at those times;
(g)Conducting impact assessments, where appropriate, for activities that may have significant adverse impacts on noise-sensitive species, and carrying out monitoring, where appropriate;
(h)Including noise considerations in the establishment and development of management plans for marine protected areas within national jurisdiction and other relevant plans, as appropriate;
(i)Considering thresholds as a tool to protect sound-sensitive species, taking into account their locations during critical life cycle stages as well as relevant results of research and additional information;
(j)Standardizing metrics and sound measurements so that there are similar measures and approaches for all sounds and in all places;
(k)Building capacity in developing regions where the awareness and scientific capacity to address this issue has yet to be strengthened;
(l)Engaging industry and other relevant sectors, including the naval and mining sectors, when developing guidelines in order to increase their ownership and participation in the implementation of the guidelines;
(m)Encouraging collaboration and communication among relevant international bodies to enhance synergies in addressing this issue;
(n)Linking relevant information on the adverse impacts of underwater noise on sound-sensitive species when harmonizing different processes related to marine spatial planning and area-based management;
4.Invites competent intergovernmental organizations, including the International Maritime Organization, the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals, and the International Whaling Commission, to take measures within their mandates, if applicable, and to assist States in taking measures, limited to those that are within the mandates of the respective competent intergovernmental organization, to avoid, minimize and mitigate the potential significant adverse impacts of anthropogenic underwater noise on marine and coastal biodiversity, including, where appropriate, giving consideration to the activities set out in paragraphs 3 (a) to 3 (n) above;
(a)To further facilitate collaboration among Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations, on the measures referred to in paragraph 3 above;
(b)To compile and synthesize relevant scientific and technical information concerning the elements specified in paragraph 3 above, as well as information on related measures taken by Parties, other Governments and competent organizations, and to make this compilation available as information for a meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice to be held prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties, with a view to disseminating the results of the synthesis, including successful experiences, through the clearing-house mechanism or other means;
6.Expresses its gratitude to the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland for supporting the scientific compilation, coordination and synthesis work for, and to the international experts for contributing to the preparation of a systematic review document on the impacts of ocean acidification on biodiversity and ecosystem functions,2 which provides a targeted synthesis of the biodiversity implications of ocean acidification for marine and coastal systems, including information on the less-reported paleo‑oceanographic research, and welcomes this updated synthesis of the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity;
7.Notes and expresses its concern that, in waters where pH is already naturally comparatively low (for example, in high latitudes, coastal upwelling regions on the shelf slope and brackish water areas with low alkalinity, such as the Baltic Sea), widespread under-saturation of both aragonite and calcite is expected to develop during the twenty-first century, and that benthic and planktonic calcifiers are among the organisms likely to be affected, as well as cold‑water corals and the structural integrity of their habitats;
8.Urges Parties and invites other Governments, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, relevant scientific groups, and other relevant organizations, to further enhance their international collaboration to improve the monitoring of ocean acidification, closely linked to other global ocean observing systems, noting that a well-integrated global monitoring network for ocean acidification is crucial to improve understanding of current variability and to develop models that provide projections of future conditions;
9.Requests theExecutive Secretary to forward the updated synthesis of the impacts of ocean acidification on marine biodiversity2 to Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations and to transmit it to the Secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and to continue to collaborate with the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, relevant scientific groups, other relevant organizations, and indigenous and local communities in order to raise awareness of the key findings of the updated synthesis and facilitate incorporating these findings into relevant national strategies and action plans concerning conservation and sustainable use of marine and coastal biodiversity as well as developing relevant research and monitoring programmes at the global, regional and national levels;
10.Recalling paragraph 2 of decision XI/21, invites Parties, other Governments, relevant organizations, and indigenous and local communities to consider the information contained in the updated synthesis of the impacts of the ocean acidification on marine biodiversity2 for their work under relevant processes, including those within the framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change;3
Priority actions to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 for coral reefs and closely associated ecosystems
11.Recalling paragraph 9 of decision XI/18 A, adopts the priority actions to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 for coral reefs and closely associated ecosystems as contained in the annex to this decision, as an addendum to the programme of work on marine and coastal biodiversity, in order to update the specific workplan on coral bleaching4 of the programme of work, and urges Parties and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to implement the activities contained therein, where applicable and in accordance with national capacity and circumstances, for enhanced implementation toward achieving Aichi Biodiversity Target 10;
12.Requests the Executive Secretary to facilitate strengthening of international and regional cooperation in support of national implementation of the priority actions, as contained in the annex, and to develop a global coral reef portal linked to the website of the Convention and existing global (e.g., the International Coral Reef Initiative) and regional initiatives (e.g., the Coral Triangle Initiative on Coral Reefs and Fisheries and Food Security) to facilitate technical collaboration and voluntary information-sharing on all aspects of sustainable management of coral reefs and related ecosystems;
13.Recalls the findings ofthe Fifth Assessment Report5 of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (Working Group II), which states that, with additional warming of 2°C, many species and systems with limited adaptive capacity would be subject to very high risks, particularly Arctic-sea-ice and coral-reef systems, and notes the relevance of Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 in this regard;
14.Recognizing that increased sea temperature also increases risks to coral reefs from pathogens and that there are additional interactions, often synergistic, among all these stressors, urges Parties and invites other Governments and relevant organizations to consolidate and further strengthen current efforts at the local, national, regional and global levels to manage coral reefs as socio-ecological systems undergoing change due to the interactive effects of multiple stressors, including both global stressors (for example, rising sea temperature, the effects of tropical storms and rising sea levels, as well as ocean acidification) and local stressors (for example, overfishing, destructive fishing practices, land-based and sea‑based pollution, coastal development, tourism and recreational use, etc.), focusing on actions that address, in particular:
(a)Reducing the impacts of multiple stressors, in particular by addressing those stressors that are more tractable at the regional, national and local levels, noting that this would have multiple benefits;
(b)Enhancing the resilience of coral reefs and closely associated ecosystems through ecosystem-based adaptation to enable the continued provisioning of goods and services;
(c)Maintaining sustainable livelihoods and food security in reef-dependent coastal communities, including indigenous and local communities, and providing for viable alternative livelihoods, where appropriate;
(d)Increasing the capability of local and national managers to forecast and plan proactively for climate risks and associated secondary effects, applying ecosystem-based adaptation measures;
(e)Enhancing international and regional cooperation in support of national implementation of priority actions, building upon existing international and regional initiatives and creating synergies with various relevant areas of work within the Convention;
15.Recalling paragraph 14 of decision XI/18 A, requests the Executive Secretary, in collaboration with Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations, to facilitate the implementation of the priority actions to achieve Aichi Biodiversity Target 10 for coral reefs and closely associated ecosystems, as contained in annex to this decision, by organizing capacity‑building workshops and developing information-sharing mechanisms on experiences and lessons learned from various implementation activities;
16.Noting that deep‑water corals and many other cold-water organisms are also vulnerable to the impacts of ocean acidification but are impacted by additional stressors that are different from those affecting warm‑water coral reefs, and recognizing the need for further work to identify the location and condition of deep-water corals and to understand the impacts of human activities on these corals, requests the Executive Secretary to prepare, in collaboration with Parties, other Governments and relevant organizations, a draft specific workplan on biodiversity and acidification in cold-water areas, building upon the elements of a workplan on physical degradation and destruction of coral reefs, including cold‑water corals6 and in close linkage with relevant work under the Convention, such as the description of areas meeting the scientific criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, and with relevant work of competent organizations, such as the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for its work on vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), and to submit the draft specific workplan on biodiversity and acidification in cold-water areas to a future meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice for consideration prior to the thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties;
17.Welcomes the work of the United Nations Environment Programme, including the contributions from regional seas organizations and other competent regional initiatives, and the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility, as well as a range of contributing partners, towards strengthening the practical use of marine spatial planning, and requests the Executive Secretary to further expand collaboration with these organizations and other relevant initiatives, in particular the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations for its work on vulnerable marine ecosystems, the International Maritime Organization for its work on particularly sensitive sea areas (PSSA), and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization for its work on tools for marine spatial planning;
18.Recognizing that marine spatial planning is a useful tool for applying the ecosystem approach to marine and coastal management, and considering the challenges associated with its implementation, requests the Executive Secretary and invites relevant organizations to advance their work on enhancing methods and tools, including monitoring measures, for marine spatial planning;
19.Requests the Executive Secretary to facilitate, through technical training and the information-sharing mechanism on ecologically or biologically significant marine areas, the use of scientific information compiled for the description of areas meeting the scientific criteria for ecologically or biologically significant marine areas to support efforts, at the regional or national level, on the use of marine spatial planning by Parties and competent intergovernmental organizations;
20.Expresses its gratitude to the Government of Japan, through the Japan Biodiversity Fund, for providing financial resources for, the Governments of Senegal and China for hosting, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the United Nations Environment Programme, the Abidjan Convention Secretariat, Partnerships in Environmental Management for the Seas of East Asia, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (Australia), and various other partner organizations for collaborating and providing scientific and technical contributions for the organization of Sustainable Ocean Initiative capacity‑building workshops for West Africa (4 to 8 February 2013) and East, South and South‑East Asia (9 to 13 December 2013), and welcomes the capacity‑building initiatives being facilitated by the Executive Secretary through the Sustainable Ocean Initiative in collaboration with Parties and relevant organizations;
21.Recalling paragraph 20 of decision X/29 and also taking into account paragraph 7 of Article 20 of the Convention, as appropriate, invites donors and funding agencies, as appropriate, to continue to extend support for capacity-building to developing countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island developing States, as well as countries with economies in transition, in order to further accelerate existing efforts towards achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets in marine and coastal areas;
22.Requests the Executive Secretary to organize, in collaboration with Parties and relevant organizations, additional capacity‑building workshops and partnership activities within the framework of the Sustainable Ocean Initiative, to address priority issues identified for respective regions concerning the achievement of Aichi Biodiversity Targets in marine and coastal areas.