A new impetus for Particularly Sensitive Sea Area designation
A new impetus for Particularly Sensitive Sea Area designation
Designation of 15 Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) by the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has taken place over a period of 30 years (1990-2020). Each of these areas must qualify on its own merits, and is subject to collective scrutiny by the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee and other relevant IMO technical committees. In principle, evidence must be presented to demonstrate that a sensitive and valuable site is vulnerable to adverse impacts from activities associated with international shipping, activities which can be addressed by an Associated Protective Measure within the purview of IMO. In practice, designation of PSSAs has taken place in a series of pulses stimulated by marine accidents, changes in legislation, and through revision of the IMO Guidelines. This article examines two case studies: the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines and the Banc d'Arguin in Mauritania. The impetus for both has been a desire by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to reduce the vulnerability of marine World Heritage Sites and their recognised outstanding universal value' to the adverse impacts of international shipping activities. For Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, the catalyst was high profile groundings of two vessels in the Spring of 2013. For Banc d'Arguin, it was a recognition of the migratory avifaunal links to Europe and a unique oceanic upwelling system. A wider study to make best use of data gathered by the Convention on Biological Diversity's process to describe Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas is also reviewed. The article concludes that this is a best practice example of marine governance, where the remits of UN agencies coincide and complement each other. Cooperation amongst agencies can provide for better protection and awareness-raising of the value of unique marine ecosystems. Recommendations are made to explore other opportunities for synergies.
area-based marine management, conservation, International shipping, World Heritage
829-834
Johnson, David E.
ac1c7dcb-a817-47bc-aaaa-4a0e268c27d0
Froján, Christopher Barrio
4935e7ee-ac0f-41bd-b00b-2c5806561d74
26 May 2020
Johnson, David E.
ac1c7dcb-a817-47bc-aaaa-4a0e268c27d0
Froján, Christopher Barrio
4935e7ee-ac0f-41bd-b00b-2c5806561d74
Johnson, David E. and Froján, Christopher Barrio
(2020)
A new impetus for Particularly Sensitive Sea Area designation.
Journal of Coastal Research, 95 (sp.1), .
(doi:10.2112/SI95-161.1).
Abstract
Designation of 15 Particularly Sensitive Sea Areas (PSSAs) by the United Nations International Maritime Organization (IMO) has taken place over a period of 30 years (1990-2020). Each of these areas must qualify on its own merits, and is subject to collective scrutiny by the IMO Marine Environmental Protection Committee and other relevant IMO technical committees. In principle, evidence must be presented to demonstrate that a sensitive and valuable site is vulnerable to adverse impacts from activities associated with international shipping, activities which can be addressed by an Associated Protective Measure within the purview of IMO. In practice, designation of PSSAs has taken place in a series of pulses stimulated by marine accidents, changes in legislation, and through revision of the IMO Guidelines. This article examines two case studies: the Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park in the Philippines and the Banc d'Arguin in Mauritania. The impetus for both has been a desire by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO to reduce the vulnerability of marine World Heritage Sites and their recognised outstanding universal value' to the adverse impacts of international shipping activities. For Tubbataha Reefs Natural Park, the catalyst was high profile groundings of two vessels in the Spring of 2013. For Banc d'Arguin, it was a recognition of the migratory avifaunal links to Europe and a unique oceanic upwelling system. A wider study to make best use of data gathered by the Convention on Biological Diversity's process to describe Ecologically or Biologically Significant Areas is also reviewed. The article concludes that this is a best practice example of marine governance, where the remits of UN agencies coincide and complement each other. Cooperation amongst agencies can provide for better protection and awareness-raising of the value of unique marine ecosystems. Recommendations are made to explore other opportunities for synergies.
This record has no associated files available for download.
More information
Accepted/In Press date: 13 February 2020
Published date: 26 May 2020
Additional Information:
Funding Information:
The Global Ocean Biodiversity Initiative (GOBI) is supported by the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.
Publisher Copyright:
© Coastal Education and Research Foundation, Inc. 2020.
Keywords:
area-based marine management, conservation, International shipping, World Heritage
Identifiers
Local EPrints ID: 479899
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/479899
ISSN: 0749-0208
PURE UUID: 538e8b2e-6652-4edb-a7af-5f80e65a7c9e
Catalogue record
Date deposited: 28 Jul 2023 16:45
Last modified: 18 Mar 2024 04:11
Export record
Altmetrics
Contributors
Author:
David E. Johnson
Author:
Christopher Barrio Froján
Download statistics
Downloads from ePrints over the past year. Other digital versions may also be available to download e.g. from the publisher's website.
View more statistics