| Abstrakt: |
The expert meeting on fisheries-related other effective area-based conservation measures (OECMs) in the Mediterranean was co-organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM) and held online from 16 to 17 February 2022. It sought to establish a way forward for identifying fisheries-related OECMs in the Mediterranean region and provide technical input to prepare and test FAO's practical guidance for the establishment and management of OECMs in marine fisheries. The main points covered during the expert meeting included: introducing participants to the OECM concept; the initial application of the criteria for OECMs, as determined by the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to a set of case studies and fisheries-related measures in the region; the compilation and discussion of main challenges related to the application of the criteria, with initial recommendations on how to address them; an initial screening of eight Mediterranean case studies against the OECM criteria; agreement on next steps to undertake a more in-depth evaluation of the case studies presented for discussions during GFCM subregional committee meetings; and the assessment of the implications, opportunities and potential difficulties that arise from identifying fishery-related OECMs in the Mediterranean. Participants concluded that it would be worth performing a more in-depth assessment against the full set of CBD criteria for the case studies in the Adriatic Sea, the Central Mediterranean and the GFCM 1 000 m Fisheries Restricted Area. Participants suggested bringing the results of the expert meeting to the GFCM Subregional Committee for the Adriatic Sea, the Subregional Committee for the Central Mediterranean and the Working Group on Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems and Essential Fish Habitats to discuss the possibility of proceeding with a full assessment of the suggested areas. Additional takeaway messages from the expert meeting included the need for a better definition and understanding of biodiversity and biodiversity conservation; the need to study the links between possible OECMs and what surrounds them, including non-fisheries related threats; the need to identify what constitutes activities with significant adverse impact and how to manage threats to enhance protection; and the need to look at the specificities of the Mediterranean governance structure and the further involvement of coastal communities in the OECM discussions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
